Compulsory Treatment Orders, or CTO’s, are legally mandated orders which require mentally ill patients to undergo psychiatric treatment. CTO’s have been regarded as a contentious and coercive form of mental health treatment for patients struggling with serious mental illnesses, as the practice has been criticised for imposing restrictions on patients which impact their own personal freedom.  

A study from University of Otago that explored CTO’s found that the treatment leads to fewer and shorter hospital admissions. Joe talks to Dr Ben Beaglehole, a Senior Lecturer from the University of Otago and co-author of the study, on the matter.