Know your rights

Some documents to have in your back pocket if you’re going into a psychiatric ward or to a mental health-related meeting:

• Mental Health Act 1983
  • Code of Practice to the Mental Health Act 1983 (Department of Health, 2008) (nearly 400 pages divided up into sections)
  • Reference Guide to the Mental Health Act 1983 (Department of Health, 2008) (not a quick read at over 300 pages, but divided into different sections to help you understand the Act)
• NICE Guidelines – Service user experience in adult mental health (CG136) – What you should be able to expect when receiving mental health services, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

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Documents setting out more rights:

• Equality Act 2010

• United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (and the UN website section on disabilities)

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Some bits and bobs on human rights and mental health to find a place for:

• Mental Disability and International Human Rights – New module at Nottingham University
• Torture in Healthcare Settings: Reflections on the Special Rapporteur on Torture’s 2013 Thematic Report – including the chapter Implementing A Paradigm Shift: Implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in the Context of Mental Disability Law by Prof Bartlett

 

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