Skip to main content
Donate to the 95 years appeal
Human rights abused on mental health wards
RUTH HUNT looks at how excessive medication and violence have, by stealth, become part and parcel of ‘treatment’

IN 2020 “I can’t breathe” was heard across the world in response to the racist murder of George Floyd and others by US police officers — but restraint isn’t usually caught on a smartphone.

In Britain, most of these violent and restrictive practices occur on mental health wards.

Those affected are hidden away, their families on a seemingly never-ending search for justice.

  • Showing respect for patients’ past and present wishes and feelings,
  • Avoiding unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation,
  • The use of techniques for avoiding or reducing the use of force,
  • The risks associated with the use of force,
  • The impact of trauma and force (whether historic or otherwise) on a patient's mental and physical health
The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
WE WANT TO WORK: Disability activists protest previous welfa
Features / 20 March 2025
20 March 2025
By making Personal Independence Payments harder to access, Labour is creating another barrier for those already struggling with soaring care costs, workplace discrimination and prejudiced employers, argues RUTH HUNT
A person placing a swab from a Covid 19 lateral flow test in
Features / 15 March 2025
15 March 2025
The NHS continues to say Covid spreads primarily through ‘droplet and touch’ while the WHO emphasises airborne transmission, meaning vulnerable patients and healthcare workers face unnecessary risks, reports RUTH HUNT
Features / 21 December 2024
21 December 2024
Behind the Samaritans’ promise to always listen, callers face secret restrictions and automated blocks while the charity admits setting limits without clearly warning ‘frequent’ users they risk getting cut off — or why, writes RUTH HUNT
Features / 30 July 2024
30 July 2024
What’s needed are more truly accessible homes, radical reform of the private sector to protect disabled tenants, and a less myopic view of the housing market focused on ‘homeowners,’ argues RUTH HUNT
Similar stories
Staff on a NHS hospital ward. Photo: Jeff Moore/PA
NHS / 23 April 2025
23 April 2025

'These figures should be a wake-up call'

A teenage girl with her head in her hands
Britain / 11 February 2025
11 February 2025
LETHAL OBJECTION: Campaigners protest outside Parliament in
Features / 26 November 2024
26 November 2024
ANSELM ELDERGILL details the problems associated with the Assisted Dying Bill which has its second reading on Friday
A woman showing signs of depression (picture posed by a mode
Features / 14 October 2024
14 October 2024
PROFESSOR LINDA GASK spoke to Ruth Hunt from her home in Orkney about her new book, Out of Her Mind: How We Are Failing Women’s Mental Health and What Must Change