Mental Health Act 1983 - Question

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords am 3:00 pm ar 21 Tachwedd 2023.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Baroness Browning Baroness Browning Ceidwadwyr 3:00, 21 Tachwedd 2023

My noble friend will be aware that autism is not a mental health condition but a communication disorder. However, of course like everybody else, people on the autistic spectrum can develop mental health problems as well. What assessment has the department made or could it make, quite urgently, of just how able and experienced psychiatrists around the country are at disaggregating between an autistic person having a meltdown and a mental health condition? If they get it wrong, as often happens, the consequences of the treatment that follows are devastating.