Any one of us can experience mental health issues over our lifetime. Find out what kinds of services exist and how they provide support.
For many of us, a mental health issue can be a low period or some type of wellbeing imbalance. Most of these issues can be adequately treated by our local GP, who may decide to refer their patient to community mental health services.
Others can experience something more serious and, may require treatment as an inpatient in a mental health care unit.
If you are reading this page and you feel sad, depressed or generally mentally unwell, please visit our Urgent Help and Support page for further advice and how you can seek help.
People with mental health difficulties may be admitted to an inpatient mental health unit, either voluntarily or involuntarily. The Mental Health Commission (MHC) plays a key role in regulating these centres. One of our main functions is to protect the interests of people using mental health services, particularly where a person is admitted without their consent. We protect people’s interests by promoting high standards and good practices in mental health services and by monitoring practices to ensure that health professionals and service providers follow the law.
To find out more about our work, and how we help ensure that people using inpatient mental health services receives a quality service. For further information, visit our What We Do page.
To find a list of the centres we regulate and to read our latest inspection reports, visit our Find a Centre page.
Know Your Rights
A guide for involuntary patients receiving mental health treatment
- admission to hospital
- your rights when receiving treatment
- giving consent to treatment
- having a Mental Health Tribunal
We produced this booklet to help patients understand more about their stay in hospital and about their rights as an involuntary patient as outlined in the Mental Health Acts 2001-2018.
The publication is available in 17 different languages including Irish at the link Know Your Rights | Mental Health Commission
