Issues Arising in the Application of the CRPD in Practice - Case Histories

In this section, we explore issues that arise during application of the Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in mental health care through a discussion of case histories modelled on real-life stories in clinical practice. We brought together psychiatrists, persons who experienced mental illness and persons who provided formal and informal care to people with mental illness, to discuss what could be the best way to act in a variety of frequently occurring situations and examine whether the best course of action for the person with an impairment and those around them is in harmony with the CRPD requirements. The persons invited to participate in these discussions were from different countries ranging from low-, middle-, to high-income countries. The case histories deal with economic, social, and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights, highlighting the indivisibility of rights. These case histories portray a picture of several violations of human rights of people with mental illness such as the right to access to health services, the right to social inclusion and social services, the right to exercise autonomy and liberty, and the right to physical and mental integrity, among others. In addition to the mistreatment of some individuals in the psychiatric system, the main problem in the field of mental health which leads to human rights violations is the behavior of governments which do not provide resources for treatment and care for people with mental illness (and their family).