Citizens Commission on Human Rights advocates international human rights standards that call for mental health treatment based on informed consent.
-- In recognition of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is engaged in activities that promote the human rights and dignity of all people in the mental health system.
Towards ensuring human rights in mental health treatment, CCHR is actively raising awareness of the Mental Health Declaration of Human Rights and calling for its global adoption. This declaration, like the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights that inspired it, lays out fundamental human rights, but is specific to the field of mental health. These rights include the right to be treated with dignity, the right to fully informed consent to mental health treatment based on the full disclosure of risks, as well as the right to refuse consent and the right to know what alternative treatments are available.
CCHR’ s activity is consistent with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recently issued call for a shift to “approaches that are more person-centred, recovery-oriented, and grounded in human rights.” Such approaches are based on informed consent for treatment and avoid involuntary psychiatric practices, such as involuntary hospitalization, which WHO determined are ineffective and can be harmful to mental health. It called for mental health systems and services to align with international human rights standards, including the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which aims to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons with disabilities, including mental health disabilities.
Media investigations and U.S. Department of Justice complaints have shed light on the problem of people being wrongly subjected to involuntary detention in psychiatric facilities and their insurance plans wrongly billed for their stays. Research indicates that involuntary psychiatric confinements in the U.S. have been increasing at three times the rate of the general population.
CCHR is raising awareness of the issue of human rights in the mental health system through its traveling exhibit, displayed at venues that include the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation annual legislative conference in Washington, DC. Research has found that people transported against their will for psychiatric evaluation are disproportionately Black people. CCHR also points to admissions by the American Psychiatric Association and American Psychological Association that minorities may encounter racist attitudes in the mental health system.
“CCHR is working to ensure rights-based and effective treatment for every individual seeking help for their mental health issues,” said Anne Goedeke, president of the CCHR National Affairs Office.
About the company: The Citizens Commission on Human Rights was co-founded in 1969 by members of the Church of Scientology and the late psychiatrist and humanitarian Thomas Szasz, M.D., recognized by many academics as modern psychiatry’s most authoritative critic, to eradicate abuses and restore human rights and dignity to the field of mental health.
Contact Info:
Name: Anne Goedeke
Email: Send Email
Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights, National Affairs Office
Address: Washington, DC
Website: http://www.cchrnational.org
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ufOUHeS-ZY
Release ID: 89164196
If you come across any problems, discrepancies, or concerns related to the content contained within this press release that necessitate action or if a press release requires takedown, we strongly encourage you to reach out without delay by contacting error@releasecontact.com (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our committed team will be readily accessible round-the-clock to address your concerns within 8 hours and take appropriate actions to rectify identified issues or support with press release removals. Ensuring accurate and reliable information remains our unwavering commitment.
