If you are an involuntary patient in hospital the

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If you are an involuntary patient in hospital the 

1. 

Mental Health Commission will do three things 

for you: 

We will provide a solicitor for you free of charge. He 

•

or she will meet you to help prepare for your mental 

health tribunal hearing. 

We will arrange for a consultant psychiatrist to 

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examine you and discuss your case with you. He 

or she will write a report about your case. Your 

solicitor will get a copy of the report. This consultant 

psychiatrist will be independent from the hospital.

We will arrange for your case to be reviewed by a 

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mental health tribunal.

 

All of this will happen within 21 days of the date of your 

admission or renewal order.

What is a mental health tribunal? 

2. 

Under the Mental Health Act, everyone who is 

involuntarily admitted to a hospital has their case 

reviewed by a mental health tribunal. The tribunal involves 

a group of trained and independent people who will look 

at your involuntary admission to decide if it followed the 

law and will make sure that your rights are protected. Your 

tribunal generally will take place in the hospital.

How do I bring my case before a mental health 

3. 

tribunal if I am admitted involuntarily? 

If you are admitted involuntarily, the Mental Health 

Commission automatically refers your case to a mental 

health tribunal. 

Who sits on a mental health tribunal? 

4. 

Each mental health tribunal is made up of three people:

a chairperson (who is a barrister or a solicitor);

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a consultant psychiatrist (who is not your consultant 

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psychiatrist); and

a third person (someone who is not a registered  

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medical practitioner, registered nurse, psychiatrist or 

solicitor/barrister). 

How will I know when the mental health tribunal 

5. 

is ready to hear my case? 

The Mental Health Commission will contact you and your 

solicitor to let you know where and when the review will  

take place.

If I am discharged or become a voluntary patient 

6. 

before my mental health tribunal hearing, can I 

still have a hearing? 

Yes you can, but you must write to us to request a 

hearing within 14 days of your discharge or your 

becoming a voluntary patient. Your consultant psychiatrist 

will give you this information. The solicitor assigned to 

you will continue to represent you free of charge.

How will I know the decision of the mental health 

7. 

tribunal? 

You will be told the decision of the mental health tribunal 

at the end of the tribunal if you attend or as soon as 

possible afterwards. The tribunal will also tell their decision 

to your consultant psychiatrist and your solicitor. 

What if the mental health tribunal decides that I 

8. 

should continue to be an involuntary patient? 

If the mental health tribunal believe that the procedures 

for involuntary admission followed the law and that you 

need to stay in the hospital, their decision will be to 

affirm the admission or renewal order. 

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Information for  

Involuntary Patients

What if the mental health tribunal decides that I 

9. 

should not remain as an involuntary patient? 

If the mental health tribunal decides that your case does 

not meet the conditions for involuntary admission, it 

can revoke the order and direct that you be discharged. 

If you wish, you may continue to stay in hospital as a 

voluntary patient. 

What can I do if I disagree with the mental health 

10. 

tribunal’s decision? 

You may appeal the decision to the Circuit Court on 

the grounds that you are not suffering from a mental 

disorder. You should discuss this with your solicitor. You 

must make the appeal within 14 days of the mental 

health tribunal’s decision. 

If you appeal and are unhappy with the decision of 

the Circuit Court, you should also discuss this with your 

solicitor.

For more detailed information you may wish to 

refer to “Your guide to the Mental Health Act 2001” 

available on our website  

www.mhcirl.ie/Mental_Health_Tribunals/  

or you can ask for a copy at your hospital.

You can contact the Mental Health Tribunal  

division within the Mental Health Commission  

on 

01 636 2400.

Please note: The leaflet is only a guide to the 

Mental Health Act 2001. It does not give a legal 

interpretation of the Act or a complete description of 

how it operates, so please do not rely on it for advice.