Community Treatment Order rights

What is a Community Treatment Order?

A Community Treatment Order is a legal way of providing treatment to a person with a mental illness when they are unable to agree to treatment and may not be safe.

A Community Treatment Order can only be made when there are no less restrictive ways of ensuring that a person gets appropriate treatment.

What does it mean if I am on a Community Treatment Order?

If you are on a Community Treatment Order you are required to receive treatment for your mental illness at a specific place at regular intervals.

You will have access to a comprehensive range of treatments, which are based on the best available evidence about what is most effective for your mental illness. Treatment may include talk therapy, medication and other interventions.

Treatment may include:

  • talk therapy
  • medication
  • other interventions.

Treatment will be provided by trained health professionals such as:

  • doctors
  • nurses
  • occupational therapists
  • social workers
  • psychologists

These professionals will help you to get better. You can discuss your treatment at any time with the staff who are assisting you.

If you are unable to comply with the terms of your Community Treatment Order and/or your mental illness does not improve, you may be assessed for a Inpatient Order, which would require you to stay in hospital for a period of time.

Statement of Rights brochure

You have rights as a patient under a mental health  Community Treatment Order and you can read about these in the downloadable brochure, which is available in English (PDF 254KB) along with fifteen other community languages.