This blog is written by Lucy Series, a researcher at the Centre for Health and Social Care Law at Cardiff Law School. Lucy’s research interests include legal capacity and human rights, especially in health and social care services. She is currently working on a project about the Court of Protection.
This blog used to be hosted on a different webpage, but I moved to WordPress in 2014 and all those posts should be republished here. I have left the old website up in case anybody is linking to pages there.
The header image on this blog is taken from a photo by Maggie Murphy at Berlin’s East Side Gallery:
The title of this blog is taken from a famous speech by Eleanor Roosevelt to the United Nations in 1958, on the tenth anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. In her speech, Roosevelt said:
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”
The Small Places 
HALLO!HAPPENED TO DISCOVER YOU SIGHT WHEN SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECTIN SWEDEN ARE 3 CHRITERIA TO BE INVOLUNTARY CHARGED FOR PSYCHIATRIC “CARE” .NO 1.YOU MUST SUFFER FROM “SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS”(FOR EX PSYCHOSIS).NO2 THE NEED FOR TREATEMENT MUST BE INEVITABLE. AND AS LAST AND NO 3:-AND TOTALLY PERVERSE-CHRITERIA: IF YOU PROTEST AGAINST TAKEN IN CHARGE FOR PSYCHIATRIC “TREATEMENT”- THIS WILL BE FINAL PROOF YOU TRULY!! SUFFER MENTAL ILLNESS. THIS MEANS IF-AND YOU ARE!(90% PUBLIC PSYCHIATRISTS ARE UNABLE TO DECIDE WHEARES YOU ARE A MENATALLY SICK OR HEALTHY PERSON AND START TO “DIAGNOSE” YOU WITH FANTASY MENTAL ILLNESSES) WRONGLY DIAGNOSED A MENTALLY SICK PERSON YOU WILL BE WITHOUT ANY!! POSSIBILITY IN THIS MOMENT-AND AS KNOWN IN SWEDEN-NEVER BUT IN 3% OF CASES LATER IN COURT- TO BE LIBERATED FROM CONDEMNANCE OF MENTAL ILLNESS (WHEN A TOTALLY SOLE PERSON,NO LONGER WITH AQUINTANCES WHO CAN VITNESS ABOUT YOU-).THIS HAPPENED ME 4 YEARS AGO . I`VE BEEN IN 2 ÒRDINARY COURTS WITHOUT SUCSESS`(ALL YEARS CRAVING-WITHOUT ANY ANSWER!! THE INVOLVED DOCTORS FOR FACTS ABOT MY “MENTAL ILLNESS”-INCL 10 2:ND OP ,TOTALLY MET 15,WHEAREOF ONLY ONE ENOUGH INTELLIGENT TO GRASP IM MENTALLY HEALTHY-AND THAT MY STORY NO ONE CAN TELL TRUTH OR ILLNESS FROM(ALL STARTED WITH MY NEED SHOW POLICE I AM NOT MENTALLY ILL WHEN CRAVING HELP AGAINST A STALKER-AND MY IDIOTIC DECISION TO VISIT A COMMON PSYCHATRY FOR SOME KIND OF DOCUMENT ABOUT THAT-THEY DIDNT BELIVE MY TELLING EITHER AND AGAINST ALL EKHR-LAWS INPRISONED ME 4 WEEKS) MOST DISGUSTING IS TOTAL LACK OF MORALS , ETHICS AND INCOMPETENCE SHOWN AND HOW KORRUPT HEALTH AUTHORITIES IN SWEDEN ARE .THEY HAVENT 4 YEARS BEEN ANSVERING MY LOGICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT RESBONSIBILITY FOR DOCTORS PROOF THEIR DIAGNOSIS. FIRST LATELY I MYBE HAVE ACHIEVED SOME ANSWERING AT LAST. NOW IM CRAVING AUTHORITIES FOR EXPLANATION HOW ONE CAN REEJECT INVOLUNTARY TREATEMENT WHEN ABSURDE- 3d CHRITERIA MAKES IT TOTALLY INPOSSIBLE! I NOW MUST IN FOR CIVIL CASE AS SOON I FIND A HR LAWYER-THEY REJECT THESE CASES- IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN. THE IDEA OF INVOLUNTARYLY BE TAKEN CHARGED FOR PSYCHIATRIC TREATEMENT IS A CRIME BEYOND MIND AND JUSTICE. IF A PERSON NOT IS A DANGER FOR OTHERS(FOR HERSELF LIFE ONLY IF RESPONSIBILE FOR CHILDREN UNDER AGE-IN MY THINKING)AND OBJECTIVLY OBVIOUSLY IS ABLE TO MANAGE HERSELF THEN NO PERSON NO AUTHORITY OF ANY KIND CAN BE ALLOWED TO GIVE HER PSYCHIATRIC TREATEMENT-THE EXCEPTIONAL UN LAWS ARE UNBELIAVEABLE UNHUMAN.WHERE ARE INTERNATIONAL INTELECTUALS AND LAWYERS SPEAKING OUT LOUD ABOUT THESE DISCUSTING CIRCUMSTANCES?THE WAY PSYCHIATRISTS IN SWEDEN SHOW INKOMPETENCE AND IGNORANCE,LACK OF UNDERSTANDING,ENGAGEMENT-THE PROFESSION OH SO SIMPLE WAY BY NO EFFORT EARN THEIR LIVING BY!-PROBOBLY MIRRORING COLLEGUAL BEHAVIOUR INTERNATIONALLY-THEIR GROTESQE BLUFFBUSINESS AND CRIMINAL POWER MUST FINALLY COME TO AN END-.PERHAPS BY GENERAL REPORT, WORLDWIDE ACTION ,APPELL TO COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS FOR CENTURIES OF PSYCHIATRIC ABUSE. ITS NOW ACTUALLY HEARD OF EXISTENTIAL “PSYCHIATRIC” TREATEMENT-AND EQUAL HUMAN-TO-HUMAN MEETING-ITS REALLY TIME PROFFESSIONALS FROM PHILOSOPHIC DISCIPLINES RAISE THEIR VOICES FOR HUMANITY -BEST WISHES!(IN SWEDEN A LAWYER EWA GUSAFSSON HAS WRITTEN A SUPERB STUDENT LITTERATUREBOOK ABOUT THESE SWEDEISH LAWS)
Really nice blog Lucy. I make a podcast for health professionals and we are doing an episode on DOLs and wondered if you wanted to be involved in anyway? Maybe a brief interview about the Bournewood case or something to set the scene? Either way I will reference your blog as its great.
Certainly! And apologies for the slow reply.
Hi there,
Just wanted to say that your blog has been incredibly helpful in my research on the relationship between mental capacity and franchise law.
I was wondering if it would be at all possible to ask you a few questions on how the law should be reformed in order to deal with the troubling figures on accessibility for individuals with cognitive disabilities?
Even a brief Twitter exchange would be much appreciated!
Thanks 🙂
Hello, sorry about hte slow reply. Please feel free to drop me an email at SeriesL@cardiff.ac.uk, where I’ll try to respond more promptly than I do here!!