Overview
A study of laws governing compulsory psychiatric treatment, particularly committal under the Mental Health Act and relations between the mental health and criminal justice systems.
Areas covered include: legal definitions of 'mental disorder'; standards governing compulsory psychiatric assessment, detention and treatment; mental disorder and violence; review procedures; the disposition of mentally disordered offenders; confidentiality and access to psychiatric records.
About this paper
| Paper title | Law and Psychiatry |
|---|---|
| Subject | Law |
| EFTS | 0.1 |
| Points | 15 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $820.40 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 96 LAWS points
- Pre or Corequisite
- Any 200-level LAWS paper not already passed
- Restriction
- LAWS 548
- Limited to
- GDipBHL, LLB, LLB(Hons), PGCertPHC, PGDipPHC
- Notes
- Not all optional papers will be available in any given year.
- Eligibility
- The paper is usually also taken by some bioethics and health science students.
- Contact
- law@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
- View more information on the Faculty of Law's website
- Teaching staff
- Textbooks
- Course materials provided by the Faculty.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will understand:
- Legal definitions of 'mental disorder'
- Standards governing compulsory psychiatric assessment, detention and treatment
- Mental disorder and violence
- Review procedures
- The disposition of mentally disordered offenders
Overview
A study of laws governing compulsory psychiatric treatment, particularly committal under the Mental Health Act and relations between the mental health and criminal justice systems.
Areas covered include: legal definitions of "mental disorder"; standards governing compulsory psychiatric assessment, detention and treatment; mental disorder and violence; review procedures; the disposition of mentally disordered offenders; confidentiality and access to psychiatric records.
About this paper
| Paper title | Law and Psychiatry |
|---|---|
| Subject | Law |
| EFTS | 0.1125 |
| Points | 15 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2027 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 96 LAWS points
- Pre or Corequisite
- Any 200-level LAWS paper not already passed
- Restriction
- LAWS 548
- Limited to
- GDipBHL, LLB, LLB(Hons), PGCertPHC, PGDipPHC
- Notes
- Not all optional papers will be available in any given year.
- Eligibility
The paper is usually also taken by some bioethics and health science students.
- Contact
- law@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
- View more information on the Faculty of Law's website.
- Teaching staff
- Textbooks
All course readings for this paper are provided by the Faculty on Aoroa.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will understand:
- The international and domestic legal framework relating to mental health.
- The law relating to adult decision-making capacity.
- The law governing compulsory mental health assessment and treatment.
- The disposition of mentally disordered offenders.
- Steps taken by Aotearoa New Zealand to improve the human rights consistency of the Mental Health Act, including current law reform.
- Complaint processes relating to mental health.
- Coronial processes relating to mental health.
- The law relating to the management of psychosocial risk.
- Preventing abuse in mental health places of detention.
- Confidentiality and access to mental health records.