Human rights and mental health services

Rights of recipients of mental health services.

Migration, mental health, and human rights.

The three themes of this special issue of the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry—migration, mental health, and human rights—draw together matters that are intuitively linked. The capacity to migrate and experiences of migration are powerfully affected by the economic, social, and political circumstances of the migrant, specifically, by the extent to which the migrant’s human rights are...

Mental health disabilities and human rights protections

BACKGROUND Around the world, reports regularly expose persistent and systemic human rights violations of patients in mental health services and facilities, and of those who are unable to access needed supports. A number of factors contribute - political will; the range and quality of services available; public and professional attitudes to mental health; stigma; health professionals' training a...

Mental health courts – a human rights perspective

This presentation analyzes specialised mental health courts (MHCs), as one solution to the long-standing, growing challenge of dealing fairly and justly with persons with mental illness (PMIs) coming before the criminal justice system, from a human rights (HR) perspective. MHCs have garnered professional and political support in North America. Redefining their primary purpose from the determina...

Human Rights-Based Approaches to Mental Health

The incidence of human rights violations in mental health care across nations has been described as a “global emergency” and an “unresolved global crisis.” The relationship between mental health and human rights is complex and bidirectional. Human rights violations can negatively impact mental health. Conversely, respecting human rights can improve mental health. This article reviews cases wher...