Family input should not be mandatory in treating mental illness Information can be disclosed without patient’s consent if risk is judged sufficient about an hour ago Listen now 5:03 Deirdre Morley and Andrew McGinley pictured with their children Conor, Darragh and Carla. Photograph: Andrew McGinley via An Garda Síochána. Your Web Browser may be out of date. If you are using Internet Explorer 9, 10 or 11 our Audio player will not work properly.
The recent verdict in the case of Deirdre Morley has thrown a spotlight on the care of people with severe mental illness, and the role that families can and should play in their treatment. Morley was found not guilty by reason of insanity of murdering her three children. Her husband, Andrew McGinley, has argued that the deaths of the couple’s children may have been avoided had he been more centrally involved in his wife’s treatment.