Written & Unwritten Rules of the System for Providers, Family, & Friends

This survey is specifically intended for individuals who've witnessed treatment in the system as a provider, family member or friend. (If you are someone who's been hospitalized or otherwise received services in the mental health system and want to speak from that perspective, please click HERE.)

We are interested in developing materials that will help support people to know their rights and strategies for navigating the mental health system. We know from experience that how and if rights and information (such as informed consent around drugs, etc) are shared varies from place to place. Often limits and restrictions (what one can't do) are shared much more freely. We also know that what's written down as a rule or law doesn't always match how things actually happen, and that there are all sorts of unwritten rules that tend to dictate how people interact with each other, offer support, and so on.

Some of the things we're interested in learning from your experience include: How does one truly get into or out of the hospital? Where does one look to find out what their rights are? What are some of the common 'unwritten' rules that exist in the system and how have you learned to navigate them? And, where providers are concerned, what have you learned from your perspective about how decisions get made?

Please help us pool our knowledge to help others move forward. Answer as many or as few questions as you like!