P-669 - Involuntary Commitment - Flaws of the Portuguese Mental Health Law

Abstract

Since 1998, the Portuguese Mental Health Law, foresees, legalizes and regulates the Involuntary Commitment properly. Despite the recognized benefit of this measure, in the exercise of psychiatry, the uncertainties, hesitations and insecurities regarding its applicability still remain. This is due, in part, to the unclearness and constraints expressed in this document, that in certain situations, weaken and collide with the clinical judgment. in this respect, the author discusses the usefulness, the limitations and practical implications of this legislation in our country. He focus on the psychiatrics’ conduct before urgent situations, on the dissonance concerning the minimum age for Involuntary Commitment, and on the notion of serious mental disorder. His judgment is based on personal experience and national and international documents related to this matter. They conclude in short, the importance of considering these contingencies in future revisions of the Mental Health Law.