If the plan is implemented, Taiwan will become the first country in Asia to introduce such a program.

The DOH is planning to launch the program in one or two counties or cities on a trial basis next year and will evaluate the response of patients and their families before expanding the program to the rest of the country, said Shih Chung-liang, head of the DOH's Bureau of Medical Affairs.

Shih said there are approximately 100,000 people in the country who have been issued severe mental illness certificates by the government, 9,000 of whom are in unstable condition and require follow-up treatment.

The compulsory community therapy will target patients who do not meet the criteria for compulsory hospitalization and do not take their medications as required, Shih said.

Chen Cheng-chung, president of the Taiwanese Society of Psychiatry, pointed out that mentally ill patients first have to be screened by a review committee before they can be recommended for compulsory hospitalization, and that at present, 10 percent to 15 percent of the cases screened are not recommended.

When these patients are allowed to return to their communities, their families very often have no idea how to care for them, Chen said. Some patients do not take their medications as prescribed by their doctors, which leads to escalation of their condition, he said.

Under the compulsory community treatment program, patients may be required to report to a rehabilitation center every day or to receive home visits by their case managers every week, for medication and follow-up treatment, according to Chen.

To prevent dangerous behaviors among mentally ill patients, family members and community leaders should report cases of mental illness to health authorities so that experts could determine whether the patients require compulsory hospitalization or compulsory community treatment, he urged.

(By Chen Li-ting and Y.F. Low)