Reforms, Rights or Wrongs? A Foucauldian Exploration on New Mental Health Bill in UK

Title: Reforms, Rights or Wrongs? A Foucauldian Exploration on New Mental Health Bill in UK Authors: Bertram, Mark; Powell, Jason Abstract: This article deconstructs the hagiography surrounding British mental health policy and provides a critical analysis of the ‘New Labour’ Government reforms of the Mental Health Act 1983 grounded in Foucauldian insights. Smart (1985) suggests that a Foucauldian perspective deconstructs “common sense assumptions” that lie at the heart of policies formulated by the State. A cogent discussion grounded in Foucault’s work can illustrate how surveillance and discourses of power impact on the positioning of service users as objects of control, domination and subordination.