Convention on Human Rights and promoting the rights of the mentally ill was passed unanimously by the House of Assembly.

Health Minister Wayne Furbert said the Mental Health Amendment Act aso banned certain expressions such as "severe mental impairment'' and "psychopathic disorder''.

Patients will also be able to be treated in any hospital and all patients will have to be interviewed before a decision is made on whether or not they are admitted.

Voluntary patients will also no longer be required to give notice before they discharge themselves from a hospital. The amendment also recognises common law relationships between patients and relatives.

"This is all about greater protection for the rights of patients,'' Mr.

Furbert said.

Shadow Health Minister Renee Webb agreed.

"This is a right step in the right direction and will remove some of the stigma of mental disorders,'' she said.

But she added the UK Government was also looking at other factors that could influence the state of a nation's mental health, such as joblessness, homelessness and drug addiction.

And she added the media could play a role in helping people to think positively about themselves which would benefit their own mental health.

"I know we talk about negative reporting when we pick up the daily, particularly with regard to young black males, who will have a negative image of themselves,'' she said.

"But this Bill should be commended because Bermuda needs to move forward and this is a move in the right direction.'' Former Health Minister Quinton Edness added: "I am delighted to hear that the Opposition side approves of the principles.

"These are very significant changes and we have got to encourage some of these people to be treated. There is no reason for a person suffering from mental anguish to feel stigmatised.'' Mr. Furbert told the House of Assembly that they would encourage any Bermudian mental health doctors to apply to work in the department.

He was responding to Dr. Ewart Brown , who said that doctors who are culturally aware of their patients, through their upbringing, can often bring more success in treatment.

"We have ignored this very important component of "Bermudianising'' the team from the top,'' Dr. Brown said. "We never had a single black Bermudian psychiatrist, whereas the majority of patients have been black Bermudians.

"We need someone who can get inside the head of a Bermudian.'' He said it was also important to expand the Island gene pool, since inbreeding caused mental illness. We have that problem here.'' Bermuda was a small society, and there was an opportunity to stop people slipping down the slope of mental disorders, he said.

"We are losing too many people while we have an inadequate system. We are the `end of the road' mentality. It is important we concentrate on the beginning of the link.'' John Barritt (UBP) said the hospitals were moving in the right direction and endorsed the call for Bermudians to become involved in psychiatry.

Earlier, Nelson Bascome (PLP) said it was important to improve facilities at St. Brendan's to make the centre more user-friendly.

Mr. Furbert said the hospital didn't discriminate against Bermudians and would love to have them.

He urged anyone who knew of any black Bermudians who were in psychiatry to contact them.

St. Brendan's was a training facility recognised by the Royal College of Psychiatry, he added.