Inequity and Madness : Psychosocial and Human Rights Issues

Two ofthe most important notions concerning the rights of people with mental illness are among the most neglected: the first is that human rights and duties are complementary and that both must be considered in constructing a framework for mental health care. The second is that we must strive for equity and not only for equality in developing mental health programs. The first ofthese notions is complex. It refers to the duties ofpeople with mental illness and to the duties ofthose who surround them. Mental illness does not liberate the person who has it from civic obligations. The most basic ofthese is to give support to others and to refuse to harm them Their carers, society and the patient's self-respect all gain through their recognition, even though the fulfilment of these obligations might be difficult or impossible in certain periods ofillness. The duty of those surrounding the patients is to recognise and respect their existence and to make the necessary arrangements to respond to their needs, protect their rights and compensate for their temporary or permanent inability to fulfil their civic duties. A society's social capital is the public good that results from the mutual supportofmembers ofa society: iffor one reason or another, some or all members ofa society fail to offer such support the social capital will diminish and the society will cease to be civic. The two most important notions concerning the rights of people with mental illnesses are among the most neglected: the first is that human rights and duties are complementary and that both must be considered in constructing a framework for mental health care. The second is that we must strive for equity in developing mental health programs. Inequity and Madness: Psychosocial and Human Rights Issues addresses both these notions. It provides the background and the facts about fulfilment of needs and the protection of human rights of people with mental illnesses. The wealth of information that it provides and the clarity of its presentation make it a document of immediate practical usefulness to all those trying to help people with mental illnesses and those who look after them. At the same time, however, the sincerity and vigour of its text make it clear that this book is a personal statement of commitment to the achievement of equity for all people, with or without mental illnesses. "I hope that Inequity and Madness will be widely read and share the hope - which was clearly on Professor Guimón's mind when he undertook to produce this volume - that this book will contribute to improving the quality of life of those with mental illnesses and those who help them to live through times of devastating diseases and misery that is often an unnecessary consequence." Professor Norman Sartorius - From the Foreword Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Mental Illness and Equity: Matters Conceptual....Pages 1-8 Madness, Evil and Reason: Matters Historical....Pages 9-20 Positive Bias: The Myth of the “Crazy Genius”....Pages 21-33 Negative Bias: Dangerousness and Incompetence....Pages 35-45 Prejudices in the General Population....Pages 47-58 Attitudes Towards the Mental Health Professionals....Pages 59-70 Prejudice Against Psychiatric Treatments....Pages 71-85 How to Overcome Prejudice....Pages 87-98 The Question of Human Rights of the Mentally Ill....Pages 99-109 Non-Discrimination and Equity....Pages 111-123 Restrictions on Freedom: Involuntary Hospitalisation....Pages 125-134 Uses and Abuses of Psychiatric Diagnosis....Pages 135-144 Dilemmas Arising in Psychiatric Treatment and Research....Pages 145-156 Discrimination Against the Weak....Pages 157-172 The Conditions in Mental Health Facilities....Pages 173-184 Specific Ethical Dilemmas in Mental Health....Pages 185-195 Summary and Conclusions....Pages 197-205 Back Matter....Pages 207-225