Changes to leave of absence in Scotland: the views of patients

Sixty-four patients were interviewed about changes to leave of absence brought about by the Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Act 1995 in the context of their views about services and medication. Few patients were clear about the change in the law,which suggests that more has to be done to inform patients of their rights and legal status. A number of patients reported difficulty in negotiating preferred medication with their psychiatrists and felt compelled to take medication that resulted in debilitating side-effects. A third of patients eligible to be interviewed agreed to an interview and ethical and practical difficulties in accessing patients for this type of research are discussed.