International human rights and mental health: challenges for law and practice

The World Health Organization and several United Nations bodies and personnel have called for a human rights perspective to be integrated into mental health and community services. While there are ongoing debates about what this means for law reform and practice, the World Health Organization Quality Rights program provides a starting point for educational training in human rights that may be of benefit for mental health practitioners. This column explores some of the challenges for integrating a human rights perspective into mental health treatment and care and outlines the Quality Rights program.