This text explores and reflects upon the debate over law relating to mental disorder and the mentally disordered. Much of the debate has been focused on the tension between public protection and individual civil rights, since much of its impetus has derived from notorious homicides in the community and been directed towards calls for a community treatment order. This book examines the nature of mental illness and its impacts on legal capacity, juxtaposing constructs which arise out of profoundly differing disciplines. It concludes that the contribution of mental health legislation is both...