The words to use
- Approved mental health professional
- The specially trained professional who assesses a person alongside doctors before they can be detained under the Mental Health Act.
- Section 63
- Lets a detained patient be treated for their mental disorder without consent, even with capacity. It does not cover unrelated physical illness.
- Presumption of capacity
- Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, adults are assumed able to make their own decisions, and an unwise choice does not prove they cannot.
- Nominated person
- Under the Mental Health Act 2025, someone the patient chooses to hold key rights, replacing the nearest relative. Not in force as of October 2026.
- Serious harm test
- The 2025 Act's new detention criterion: a risk that serious harm may be caused to the patient or others. Not in force as of October 2026.
