Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Forensic Psychiatric Services (Canada - British Columbia)
A 35 page information guide (in Adobe Acrobat format) from the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society. As noted in CMHA/Ontario's newsletter Mental Health Notes, the guide is intended "to help families of people with serious mental disorders better understand forensic psychiatric services. The guide discusses how people with serious mental illness are at increased risk of coming into conflict with the law, explains how they may be assessed to see if treatment in the forensic psychiatric system is appropriate, and describes the inpatient and community based forensic treatment system in British Columbia. Tips are included for family members, based on the personal experiences of other family members in dealing with the forensic system and treatment providers. The booklet also provides a brief description of the major mental disorders and links to provincial mental health resources."