Restrictive environments: the challenge of implementing of Brunei's 2014 Mental Health Order

Abstract

In 2014, Brunei implemented the Mental Health Order, which replaced the 1929 Lunacy Act. This new legislation was designed to improve the treatment of mental disorders and to protect the rights and welfare of people with mental disorders. This short report describes the experience and challenge of implementing the new legislation, with a particular focus on the use of involuntary treatment and the restrictions imposed on people with mental disorders despite the new legislative framework.