Challenges for Israeli Mental Health Law in the next decade

There are two major forces currently impinging on Israeli Mental Health Law in the civil field. One derives from the shift in public funding for Mental Health. The other is driven by the conviction that neither patient rights nor public needs are well served by current arrangements. The challenge for the next decade is how to respond constructively to these somewhat different, yet coalescing demands. The U.S. was subject to the same pressures and adopted "deinstitutionalization. ' Its practice fell far short of its promise, and in turn prompted other innovations to be adopted, principally Assertive Community Treatment and Assisted Outpatient Treatment. For these to focus on the correct population new risk assessment techniques were required and an actuarial approach was adopted. When this experience is applied to the Israeli context, three main elements emerge as necessary for a successful response to the challenges of the decade: (i) an effective mechanism for risk assessment in mental health, (ii) substantially expanded research and professional training infrastructure in forensic mental health, and (iii) changes in the attitude towards the mentally ill and their treatment.