Human Rights and Mental Health Care: A Perspective from the World Psychiatric Association

The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) recommends implementing the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by adopting a rights-based approach across its range of activities. The WPA works with Member Societies in 145 countries and with other partners to protect and promote mental health in the populations of each country and to improve mental health care and support recovery among those people with lived experience of mental ill-health. Partners include people with lived experience and their families, and international and inter-governmental organizations with related interests. WPA works together with these partners to implement policies, actions, and research in and across countries as well as international norms and advocacy. The WPA has developed positions and programs on promoting mental health and preventing ill-health, and on supporting equity of access to high quality mental health care, especially for people living in adversity and scarce resource settings. This chapter will focus on the work of WPA on promoting alternatives to coercion in mental health care, and the concurrent program underpinning this on partnering with people with lived experience of mental health conditions and their families.