'Govt plan may stop people seeking psychiatric help'
People with mental health problems might avoid seeking medical help if there's a risk they'll end up being detained against their will, a community activist warned on Friday. The government is planning to extend mandatory detention orders for psychiatric patients with a criminal record involving violent offences, even if they had sought treatment in hospital voluntarily.  Even when such a patient is released, they could be given a conditional discharge, making it mandatory for them to reside in a certain place, take medicine as prescribed, or attend follow-up sessions. Crystal Yuen from the Society for Community Organisation told RTHK that people going to doctors for help might feel like they are being treated as criminals, even though the majority are not violent. "Even if they had a disciplinary record in the past, patients could be entering the hospital because they noticed something in their behaviour and it could be entirely unrelated to violence. It might be to adjust their medication or even for emotional support," Yuen said.  "These extra conditions could lead to unintended consequences," she warned. On the same radio programme, University of Hong Kong psychiatry professor Eric Chen said conditional discharges would not be a form of punishment, but a way to balance patients' rights with public safety. "There will be a periodic check-in under the automatic review mechanism for patients who are allowed out. A team involving doctors, nurses and social workers will work together on the case. They can check in annually or even every two years to see if there are any dangers, depending on the patient's condition," he said.