{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T06:53:13Z","timestamp":1782283993524,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]],"date-time":"2025-09-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758499200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000272","name":"National Institute for Health and Care Research","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["NIHR20173"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NIHR20173"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000272","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosmentalhealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Ment Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study, co-produced by a team of academics, lived experience researchers and clinicians, explores the views and experiences of people who have been compulsorily detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act (1983) (MHA) in England, to understand how and why, from their perspective, compulsory detentions occur, and what might help prevent them. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 people (55% male, 40% Black\/Black British, 30% White British) who had been compulsory detained in hospital within the past 5 years. Lived experience researchers with relevant personal experience carried out interviews via telephone or videoconference and participated in analysis of data via a template approach. We derived three over-arching themes from interviews. The first theme \u201cIndividual factors increasing or reducing likelihood of being detained\u201d encompassed factors related to people\u2019s own lives and attitudes, including life stressors, not taking medication as prescribed, the risk individuals may pose to themselves or others, and their attitude to and management of their mental health. The second theme \u201cFamily and Social Network\u201d reflects how attitudes and quality of support from family, friends and social network may contribute to compulsory detentions or help people to stay well. The third theme \u201cNeed for improvement in Service Responses\u201d identified limitations of services that contribute to detention, including lack of collaborative care and choice, poor quality of professional support, and discriminatory attitudes from staff. Each theme also included potential approaches to addressing these limitations and reducing compulsory detentions. Findings suggest multiple interacting factors may lead to people being detained in hospital under the MHA, and that improvements to services, such as increasing collaborative care and service user-led family involvement, could prevent further detentions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmen.0000417","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]],"date-time":"2025-09-22T17:22:47Z","timestamp":1758561767000},"page":"e0000417","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmen.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Exploring pathways to compulsory detention in psychiatric hospital and ways to prevent repeat detentions; Service user perspectives"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"2","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8828-2118","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mary","family":"Birken","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2840-8086","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ariana","family":"Kular","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9896-6078","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Patrick","family":"Nyikavaranda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-4045-4939","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jordan","family":"Parkinson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lizzie","family":"Mitchell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kathleen Lindsay","family":"Fraser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valerie Christina","family":"White","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Janet","family":"Seale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jackie","family":"Hardy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cady","family":"Stone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mark Keith","family":"Holden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-9874-7757","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Tyler","family":"Elliot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zishi","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6289-9419","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Henrietta","family":"Mbeah-Bankas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Wood","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fiona","family":"Lobban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brynmor","family":"Lloyd-Evans","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sonia","family":"Johnson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pmen.0000417.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"135","DOI":"10.1080\/01418030122309","article-title":"Detention under the Mental Health Act: balancing rights, risks and needs for services","volume":"23","author":"B Hatfield","year":"2001","journal-title":"Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref002","unstructured":"NHS Digital. Mental Health Act Statistics, Annual Figures, 2021-22. 2022a. cited 26 January 2023. https:\/\/digital.nhs.uk\/data-and-information\/publications\/statistical\/mental-health-act-statistics-annual-figures\/2021-22-annual-figures"},{"issue":"5","key":"pmen.0000417.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1016\/S2215-0366(19)30090-2","article-title":"Variations in patterns of involuntary hospitalisation and in legal frameworks: an international comparative study","volume":"6","author":"L Sheridan Rains","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet Psychiatry"},{"issue":"3","key":"pmen.0000417.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1192\/bjo.2019.19","article-title":"Patients\u2019 experiences of assessment and detention under mental health legislation: systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis","volume":"5","author":"SF Akther","year":"2019","journal-title":"BJPsych Open"},{"issue":"2","key":"pmen.0000417.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1192\/bjo.2019.101","article-title":"Carers\u2019 experiences of involuntary admission under mental health legislation: systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis","volume":"6","author":"R Stuart","year":"2020","journal-title":"BJPsych Open"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref006","volume-title":"Modernising the Mental Health Act \u2013 final report from the Independent Review","author":"Department of Health and Social Care","year":"2018"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000417.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"54","DOI":"10.1186\/s13033-022-00565-4","article-title":"Experiences and perceptions of coercive practices in mental health care among service users in Nigeria: a qualitative study","volume":"16","author":"DO Aluh","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Ment Health Syst"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1113821","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2023.1113821","article-title":"Experiences of coercion amongst involuntary mental health care users in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa","volume":"14","author":"Z Shozi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Psychiatry"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref009","unstructured":"National Institute of Clinical Excellence. Service user experience in adult mental health services. 2019. Cited 28 July 2023. https:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/guidance\/qs14"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref010","unstructured":"NHS. Mental Health Act. Accessed 12 Oct 2023. 2022. https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/mental-health\/social-care-and-your-rights\/mental-health-and-the-law\/mental-health-act\/"},{"issue":"4","key":"pmen.0000417.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.1016\/S2215-0366(19)30027-6","article-title":"Ethnic variations in compulsory detention under the Mental Health Act: a systematic review and meta-analysis of international data","volume":"6","author":"P Barnett","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet Psychiatry"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref012","unstructured":"NHS Digital. Detentions under the Mental Health Act. 2022b. cited 19 May 2023. https:\/\/www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk\/health\/mental-health\/detentions-under-the-mental-health-act\/latest#by-ethnicity-5-ethnic-groups"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000417.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1037\/prj0000537","article-title":"Experiences of adults from a Black ethnic background detained as inpatients under the Mental Health Act (1983)","volume":"46","author":"J Solanki","year":"2023","journal-title":"Psychiatr Rehabil J"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"58","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2019.03.017","article-title":"Psychosocial Interventions to Reduce Compulsory Psychiatric Admissions: A Rapid Evidence Synthesis","volume":"10","author":"JK Bone","year":"2019","journal-title":"EClinicalMedicine"},{"issue":"4","key":"pmen.0000417.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1192\/bjo.2019.28","article-title":"Crisis-planning interventions for people with psychotic illness or bipolar disorder: systematic review and meta-analyses","volume":"5","author":"E Molyneaux","year":"2019","journal-title":"BJPsych Open"},{"issue":"12","key":"pmen.0000417.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1039","DOI":"10.1016\/S2215-0366(19)30406-7","article-title":"Clinical and social factors associated with increased risk for involuntary psychiatric hospitalisation: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and narrative synthesis","volume":"6","author":"S Walker","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet Psychiatry"},{"issue":"14","key":"pmen.0000417.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1986","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare11141986","article-title":"Beyond Patient Characteristics: A Narrative Review of Contextual Factors Influencing Involuntary Admissions in Mental Health Care","volume":"11","author":"DO Aluh","year":"2023","journal-title":"Healthcare (Basel)"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000417.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1192\/bjo.2020.153","article-title":"Risk factors for repeated emergency compulsory psychiatric admissions","volume":"7","author":"MH de Jong","year":"2020","journal-title":"BJPsych Open"},{"issue":"5","key":"pmen.0000417.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1192\/bjo.2020.64","article-title":"Understanding increasing rates of psychiatric hospital detentions in England: development and preliminary testing of an explanatory model","volume":"6","author":"L Sheridan Rains","year":"2020","journal-title":"BJPsych Open"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000417.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1192\/bjp.2022.141","article-title":"Ethnic inequalities in involuntary admission under the Mental Health Act: an exploration of mediation effects of clinical care prior to the first admission","volume":"222","author":"DF Freitas","year":"2023","journal-title":"Br J Psychiatry"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101645","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijlp.2020.101645","article-title":"Experiences of involuntary psychiatric admission decision-making: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of the perspectives of service users, informal carers, and professionals","volume":"73","author":"K Sugiura","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Law Psychiatry"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"708175","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2021.708175","article-title":"Between No Help and Coercion: Toward Referral to Involuntary Psychiatric Admission. A Qualitative Interview Study of Stakeholders\u2019 Perspectives","volume":"12","author":"I Wormdahl","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Psychiatry"},{"issue":"5","key":"pmen.0000417.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"849","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291717002239","article-title":"Outcomes of a psycho-education and monitoring programme to prevent compulsory admission to psychiatric inpatient care: a randomised controlled trial","volume":"48","author":"B Lay","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychol Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000417.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1186\/s40814-024-01453-z","article-title":"A crisis planning and monitoring intervention to reduce compulsory hospital readmissions (FINCH study): protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility study","volume":"10","author":"S Johnson","year":"2024","journal-title":"Pilot Feasibility Stud"},{"issue":"6","key":"pmen.0000417.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmen.0000314","article-title":"Exploring pathways to compulsory detention and ways to prevent repeat compulsory detentions in England; clinician perspectives","volume":"2","author":"A Kular","year":"2025","journal-title":"PLOS Ment Health"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4135\/9781473983304","volume-title":"Template Analysis for Business and Management Students","author":"N King","year":"2017"},{"issue":"4","key":"pmen.0000417.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"589","DOI":"10.1080\/2159676X.2019.1628806","article-title":"Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis","volume":"11","author":"V Braun","year":"2019","journal-title":"Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"pmen.0000417.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"202","DOI":"10.1080\/14780887.2014.955224","article-title":"The Utility of Template Analysis in Qualitative Psychology Research","volume":"12","author":"J Brooks","year":"2015","journal-title":"Qual Res Psychol"},{"issue":"3","key":"pmen.0000417.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0280946","article-title":"Exploring the experiences of loneliness in adults with mental health problems: A participatory qualitative interview study","volume":"18","author":"M Birken","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"2","key":"pmen.0000417.ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"212","DOI":"10.1080\/09638237.2021.1922624","article-title":"\u201cWaiting for the verdict\u201d: the experience of being assessed under the Mental Health Act","volume":"31","author":"L Blakley","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Ment Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000417.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"476","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-024-05914-w","article-title":"A qualitative meta-synthesis of service users\u2019 and carers\u2019 experiences of assessment and involuntary hospital admissions under mental health legislations: a five-year update","volume":"24","author":"G Bartl","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"issue":"2","key":"pmen.0000417.ref032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1016\/S0160-2527(97)00001-0","article-title":"Perceptions of coercion in the admission of voluntary and involuntary psychiatric patients","volume":"20","author":"SK Hoge","year":"1997","journal-title":"Int J Law Psychiatry"},{"issue":"3","key":"pmen.0000417.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.1080\/09638230802052203","article-title":"Treatment pressures, leverage, coercion, and compulsion in mental health care","volume":"17","author":"G Szmukler","year":"2008","journal-title":"Journal of Mental Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000417.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"302","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-022-03864-9","article-title":"Interventions to improve social circumstances of people with mental health conditions: a rapid evidence synthesis","volume":"22","author":"P Barnett","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"issue":"5","key":"pmen.0000417.ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"260","DOI":"10.1192\/bjp.2019.54","article-title":"Self-management interventions for people with severe mental illness: systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"214","author":"M Lean","year":"2019","journal-title":"Br J Psychiatry"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref036","year":"2022"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref037","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106664","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cct.2021.106664","article-title":"Open Dialogue compared to treatment as usual for adults experiencing a mental health crisis: Protocol for the ODDESSI multi-site cluster randomised controlled trial","volume":"113","author":"S Pilling","year":"2022","journal-title":"Contemp Clin Trials"},{"issue":"9","key":"pmen.0000417.ref038","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1412","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijnurstu.2015.05.001","article-title":"Reducing conflict and containment rates on acute psychiatric wards: The Safewards cluster randomised controlled trial","volume":"52","author":"L Bowers","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J Nurs Stud"},{"issue":"2","key":"pmen.0000417.ref039","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"220","DOI":"10.1002\/wps.20962","article-title":"Acute psychiatric care: approaches to increasing the range of services and improving access and quality of care","volume":"21","author":"S Johnson","year":"2022","journal-title":"World Psychiatry"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000417.ref040","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1174","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-021-07181-x","article-title":"Emerging models and trends in mental health crisis care in England: a national investigation of crisis care systems","volume":"21","author":"C Dalton-Locke","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"key":"pmen.0000417.ref041","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1053502","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2023.1053502","article-title":"The Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework: a model to reduce mental health inequity in England and Wales","volume":"14","author":"SM Smith","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Psychiatry"}],"container-title":["PLOS Mental Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmen.0000417","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]],"date-time":"2025-09-22T17:22:54Z","timestamp":1758561774000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmen.0000417"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Karli","family":"Montague-Cardoso","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]]},"references-count":41,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmen.0000417","relation":{},"ISSN":["2837-8156"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2837-8156","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,22]]}}}