UK psychiatrists’ opinions and experiences of Community Treatment Orders

Background/Objectives: In the UK, Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) were introduced in 2008 after two decades of heated debate, which remained unresolved at the time of implementation. A survey in New Zealand (2004) revealed that, after 10 years of working with CTOs, the majority of clinicians preferred to work in a system with compulsory community treatment. Our survey explored how UK clinicians viewed CTOs a year after their introduction. Methods: A postal survey based on the instrument used in New Zealand was sent to 1,928 consultants in General Adult and Rehabilitation Psychiatry in the UK (excluding Norther…