[DRAFT] Institutional Psychiatry Act

[Unibot]

Have at it, 10ki! Your comments, criticism and bases belong to us!!

Institutional Psychiatry Act
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.
Category: Human Rights | Strength: Strong | Proposed by: Unibot

The General Assembly,

Defines in the present resolution:

(a) "Mental health facility" as any establishment, or any division of an establishment, which serves either (or both) of the following purposes, (1) provides care and rehabilitation for a mental illness or suspected mental illness, (2) serves as an incarceratory institution for the mentally ill or suspected mentally ill;
(b) "Patient" as a person who has been admitted to a mental health facility, or otherwise is receiving care, rehabilitation or incarceration at a mental health facility;

Hereby Demands:

• All persons with a mental illness — or who are being treated as such persons — have the right to:
  
  • Psychiatric treatment, counselling and rehabilitation by mental heath professionals that are held to the same high standards as all other fields of practiced medicine;
    
  • Not be subject to exploitation for economic, sexual or other gains (e.g human exhibitions, prostitution);
    
  • Not be subject to degrading treatment and physical, mental or any other form of abuse;
    
  • Procreation and at-least robust allowances for visitation with the subsequent offspring -- unless said persons' present behavior suggests that their presence is a danger to their children as determined by domestic courts;
    
  • Freedom of communication, which includes freedom to send and receive uncensored private communications with anyone outside or inside in a mental health facility, and inalienable access to communicational services (postal and telephone) and newspapers, radio, television and other forms of media;
  
  
• No patient shall be subject to medication that is not in their best medical interests or lacks a therapeutic or diagnostic purpose (e.g as a method of punishment, for the convenience of staff);
  
  
  
• The practice of subjecting patients to punishment that serves no therapeutic and diagnostic purpose shall be outlawed (e.g misuses of seclusion or electroconvulsive therapy, lobotomization, embarrassment via group therapy);
  
  
  
• Visitation by friends, family and other persons should be available at all times unless the patient requests without coercion that they not receive visits from any given person — upon said situation, mental health facilities should provide the necessary security to fulfill this request;
  
  
  
• Mental health facilities shall offer a pleasant environment and living conditions for patients in addition to making a wealth of recreational, educational and leisure activities and an efficient complaint system available to patients — said standards will be detailed, stipulated, devised and publicized by the WA Commission on Human Rights.
  
  
  
• No perceived threat to the social, political or cultural values of the majority (e.g sexual orientation, unconventional gender roles or political ideology), or the suppression of dissent shall ever be the justification for a patient’s admittance to a mental health facility;
  
  
  
• Member-nations shall (1) not relocate patients or mental health facilities elsewhere to circumvent this resolution, (2) consider further legislation on the details of admission to mental health facilities, (3) consider gross violations of this resolution by non-member-nations as reasonable grounds for condemnation.

[Takaram]

Has the WA provided a definition for mental illness before? It would seem necessary to me.

[Unibot]

Jan 24, 2011 11:35:24 GMT -5 Takaram said:

Has the WA provided a definition for mental illness before? It would seem necessary to me.

I think a definition in this case would be used as a source of loopholes and it would be used to deny certain people their rights under this bill. I'm more than willing to open these rights up to as many people as relevant, and a definition would go against that.

[Takaram]

Fair enough.