The Human Rights Act 1998 came into force in October 2000, bringing the
rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law. Although many aspects of English mental health law have previously been tested against the European Convention on Human Rights in the European Court of Human Rights, it has been suggested that by removing the necessity to take ‘the long road to Strasbourg’, the Human Rights Act could result in a flood of legal cases concerning the management of mental disorder (Macgregor-Morris et al, 2001). We will consider the relationship between previous judgements in the European Court of Human Rights and domestic mental health law; review mental health cases brought under the Human Rights Act in its first year; and discuss its possible impact on clinical practice.