Accounting for Social Perspectives: An Exploratory Study of Approved Mental Health Professional Practice

Abstract

Abstract The role of the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) in England and Wales was intended to provide a social perspective as a ‘counterweight’ to a medical perspective when compulsory detention to psychiatric care is being considered as part of an assessment under the 1983 Mental Health Act (MHA). However, with few exceptions, there is relatively little written about AMHPs’ understandings of a social perspective and their experiences of applying this in practice. This article will discuss the findings of a small-scale qualitative study involving twelve AMHPs, highlighting the different accounts of how social perspectives may be understood and implemented. Some of the tensions that may arise when undertaking MHA assessments and the challenges of implementing a social perspective in practice will be considered. The conclusion will recognise the complexity of AMHP practice and the diverse ways in which AMHPs attempt to apply a social perspective. It is clear, however, that an understanding of social perspectives is firmly embedded in the practice of the AMHPs involved in this study.