Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T08:27:20.127Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A survey of voting practices in an acute psychiatric unit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2014

A. Siddique  and
A. Lee
A. Siddique
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Naas General Hospital, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland
A. Lee*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Naas General Hospital, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr A. Lee, Department of Psychiatry, Naas General Hospital, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland. (Email: Alyson.lee@hse.ie)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The aim of this survey was to investigate the voting practices of patients on an acute psychiatric unit in the General Election 2011. Our survey showed that only 10% of patients voted and many patients were unaware of their right to vote. We recommend that all patients should be routinely informed of their right to vote as part of their hospital admission. Voting should be facilitated by hospital staff and advocacy where practicable.

Keywords

Psychiatric patientssurveyvoting practices
Type
Original Research
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , December 2014 , pp. 229 - 231
Copyright
© College of Psychiatrists of Ireland 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

31st Dail General Election. February, 2011. Election Results and Transfer of Votes. Houses of the Oireachtas 2011 (http://www.oireachtas.ie/documents/publications/2011_Electoral_Handbookrev.pdf).Google Scholar
Citizens Information. Facilities for voters with Disabilities (2013) (http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/elections_and_referenda/voting/facilities_for_voters_with_disabilities.html).Google Scholar
Humphreys, M, Chiswick, D (1993). Getting psychiatric to the polls in the 1992 general election. Psychiatric Bulletin 17, 18–19.Google Scholar
McIntyre, J, Khwaja, M, Yelamanchili, V, Naz, S, Clarke, M (2012). Uptake and knowledge of voting rights by adult in-patients during the 2010 UK general election. The Psychiatrist, 36, 126–130.Google Scholar
Redley, R, Hughes, J, Holland, A (2010). Voting and mental capacity. BMJ 341, c4085.Google Scholar
Rees, G (2010). Suffrage or suffering? Voting rights for psychiatric in-patients. The British Journal of Psychiatry 197, 159.Google Scholar