New legislation on civil commitment in Hungary

In Hungary the legal provisions concerning civil commitment of mentally ill patients recently changed. The new act became effective in February 1995. The main reason for the amendment was to fulfil the duty concerning harmonization of the legal system with the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Liberties, which was ratified by Hungary in 1992. Both the substantive criteria and the procedural rules changed: The need for treatment no longer justifies civil commitment, the role of the court has become more important, and more emphasis is laid on the protection of the rights of patients in commitment proceeding. In spite of these advantageous changes some important provisions remained unchanged: a regulation on the rights of committed patients is absent, and informed consent issues are not addressed in the new act.