Eligible relatives are given rights and powers in the compulsory treatment of people with mental health problems in several international jurisdictions, including within England and Wales. However, little attention has been given to whether relatives feel legally literate or competent to fulfil such roles. This article examines this issue through focussing on the experiences of Nearest Relatives, who are given rights and powers during Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) assessments for compulsory admission in England and Wales. Interviews with nineteen Nearest Relatives in England were conducted and were thematically analysed. Three themes were identified. First, NRs spoke about their awareness and knowledge of the role. They predominantly reported negative experiences in which they received no or little information. They also reported that professionals assumed they possessed legal knowledge, and their legal knowledge was largely self-taught. Secondly, NRs reported uncertainty about their own rights and powers, noting the role lacked status or informational or emotional support. Third, NRs highlighted areas for legal reform, stating that the NR role was important, but required specialist support systems for NRs. The findings of this study indicate greater attention needs to be given by law and policy makers to support relatives' understanding of their rights and powers under the MHA, if the NR role is to be effective in helping to safeguard patient rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. These include the right in Article 5 not to be arbitrarily deprived of one's liberty and the right to a private and family life in Article 8. Legislators also need to take account of these factors when considering proposals to reform mental health law in England and Wales.

中文翻译：

---

“我是盲目的”：最近亲属、法律知识和 1983 年《心理健康法》

在包括英格兰和威尔士在内的多个国际司法管辖区，符合资格的亲属被赋予对患有精神健康问题的人进行强制治疗的权利和权力。然而，很少有人关注亲属是否觉得自己有法律知识或有能力履行这些职责。本文通过关注近亲的经历来探讨这个问题，在英格兰和威尔士的 1983 年心理健康法案 (MHA) 强制入学评估中，近亲被赋予了权利和权力。对英国十九名近亲进行了访谈并进行了主题分析。确定了三个主题。首先，NR 谈到了他们对该角色的认识和了解。他们主要报告了没有收到或收到很少信息的负面经历。他们还报告说，专业人士认为他们拥有法律知识，而他们的法律知识很大程度上是自学的。其次，NR 报告了自己的权利和权力的不确定性，指出该角色缺乏地位或信息或情感支持。第三，国家代表强调了法律改革的领域，指出国家代表的作用很重要，但需要国家代表的专业支持系统。本研究的结果表明，如果 NR 的角色要有效帮助维护《欧洲公约》规定的患者权利，则法律和政策制定者需要更加关注支持亲属对其在 MHA 下的权利和权力的理解。人权。其中包括第 5 条中的不被任意剥夺自由的权利以及第 8 条中的私人和家庭生活的权利。立法者在考虑改革英格兰和威尔士精神卫生法的提案时也需要考虑这些因素。