New research, 'What would Mary douglas do? A commentary on Kahan et al., 'Cultural cognition and public policy: the case of outpatient commitment laws',' is the subject of a report. 'Involuntary outpatient commitment is a highly controversial issue in mental health law,' scientists in the United States report (see also Mental Health).
'Strong supporters of outpatient commitment see it as a form of access to community-based mental health care and a less restrictive alternative to hospitalization for people with severe mental illness; vocal opponents see it as an instrument of social control and an unwarranted deprivation of individual liberty. Kahan and colleagues apply the theory of 'cultural cognition' in an empirical study of how cultural worldviews influence support for outpatient commitment laws among the general public and shape perceptions of evidence for these laws' effectiveness,' wrote J. Swanson and colleagues, Duke University.
The researchers concluded: 'This article critiques Kahan et al. and offers an alternative perspective on the controversy, emphasizing particular social facts underlying stakeholders' positions on outpatient commitment laws.'
Swanson and colleagues published their study in Law and Human Behavior (What would Mary douglas do? A commentary on Kahan et al., 'Cultural cognition and public policy: the case of outpatient commitment laws' Law and Human Behavior, 2010;34(3):176-85).
For more information, contact J. Swanson, Duke University School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Durham, NC USA.
Publisher contact information for the journal Law and Human Behavior is: Springer, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA.
Keywords: City:Durham, State:NC, Country:United States, Mental Health.
This article was prepared by Mental Health Weekly Digest editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, Mental Health Weekly Digest via NewsRx.com.
