Mental Health Act 1983 Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Baroness Browning
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Mental Health Act 1983
Baroness Browning Excerpts(5 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Lord Markham (Con)
Yes. I am happy for the noble Lord to come to the round table and put those points himself as well.
Baroness Browning (Con)
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.
Lord Markham (Con)
My noble friend is absolutely correct, and from personal experience I know the importance of getting that early diagnosis right. I am quite happy to write in detail exactly what we are doing in this space.