Voices

Protect those seeking rights from being branded mad

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-31 08:01

The Ministry of Public Security last week stressed that clinics should not hospitalize people without mental illness without examinations by and the approval of the public security departments. The announcement was made during a national work conference on mental health in Wuhan, Hubei province.

Such news made a stir among the public immediately after it appeared on the Web and in various publications. There have been numerous cases in which local government departments sent healthy people to mental hospitals by force. These are people who insisted on making complaints to higher-level governments by letters and by visits and those who resorted to legal means to simply protect their own rights and interests. These citizens' right of freedom is deprived through this compulsory treatment.

That is why the public was shocked by the public security ministry's new announcement. With the new rule, it will be more convenient for local governments to deal with complainers, rights fighters and others who are "disobedient".

They don't even need to bother to convince the public that the individuals are mentally ill; instead, they can send anyone into a mental hospital with only the approval of the public security departments.

Such a rule is ridiculous and may bring disastrous results.

The basic sensibility makes us question the truthfulness of the news. Quickly, the ministry officials made a clarification, pointing out that the report was inaccurate and misleading. The truth is that mental hospitals under the management of the public security departments can only hospitalize and give compulsory treatment to people following two requirements: First, people who are to be hospitalized by force must be suspected of breaking the criminal code; Second, these people must have been diagnosed with mental problems following legal procedures.

Under the two situations, it is impossible for the public security departments to approve sending healthy people to a mental clinic. It is such a relief to read the timely clarification from the security ministry.

In any rules and regulations concerning the custody and treatment to people with mental illness, a core principle is that no person or department has the right to send a healthy person to a mental clinic by force, under any excuse or name.

Local government departments should never get back at citizens who complain to higher-level governments. Citizens who break the law should be punished though the law instead of being forced into a mental clinic.

Efficient custody and treatment of mental patients is a must to minimize the threat they pose to society. At the same time, supervision is also a must to prevent power from being abused as a tool to infringe upon citizens' rights.

Excerpts from a comment in Beijing Youth Daily on Saturday.