In the complex and sometimes volatile area of mental health law, this volume provides ready access to key articles from around the world. Each article has been chosen for its definitive focus on critical issues. The work is divided into three parts. Part I: Principles looks thematically at questions concerning the role of capacity, coercion and compulsion in mental health law, together with an examination of the conflicting potential of the law to be both discriminatory and therapeutic. Part II: Process examines selected seminal empirical studies of process relating to diagnosis, compulsory admission, legal safeguards and treatment in the community. Part III: Trends adopts a broadly chronological lens critically to assess the past, examine persistent current dilemmas and speculate about an uncertain future. Key Features: * Provides an easy reference to seminal articles in mental health law * Brings together a cross-selection of articles on fundamental issues from around the world * Concluding section provides a critical analysis of the past and an assessment for the future; * Includes a substantial context setting introduction by the editor. Seminal Issues in Mental Health Law is a definitive reference for all those involved with this rapidly changing area.