External consultation

A public consultation was launched in February 1997. More than 100 responses were received from a wide variety of organisations and individuals. Respondents included:

• individual clinicians and scientists

• other academics and individuals

• charities and other organisations

• mental health user groups, learned and professional organisations and regulatory bodies

• people who currently or previously had mental health problems or a psychiatric diagnosis or who came from a family with a history of mental health problems

• ethicists or centres of ethics

• religious groups

• carers

• lawyers or centres of law

• health care providers

• research ethics committees

• women's organisations.