I have blogged about this issue before… Mental health laws and policies inadvertently (at best) or purposefully (at worse) promoting the denial of human right freedoms. I continue to be very concerned for the freedom of people with mental health problems who have mustered up sufficient strength to seek some professional help to address their mental health, and who then find themselves in a voluntary mental health unit only to discover that their freedoms are curtailed because the doors are locked behind them. The very idea that people with mental health problems are a safety risk is a travesty and perpetuates unhelpful sense of stigma and fear in the wider community. People should feel welcomed and encouraged to access mental health help when it is needed… the environment in which help occurs is very important. And, to not have the freedom to come and go at will to places where mental health care is provided is not sufficiently appropriate or evidenced based care. The political and policy debate should be an important focus in all stated and federal elections… the freedoms of people with mental health problems should be  considered carefully. And… human rights and dignity should be the hallmark for policy and governance changes on this matter. The evidence does not adequately support the current practice which allows for the mass detention of voluntary mental health clients in mental health care. See this croakey blog for more good quality discussion on this topic: http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2015/01/27/queensland-policies-on-mental-health-doing-harm-breaching-the-law/