Citizenship

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”

“They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”

Article 1: Universal Declaration of human rights

Fair and Just Laws

“The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets and to steal bread”

Anatole France (1884-1924)

Equality Legislation

“Wrongdoing can only be avoided if those who are not wronged feel the same indignation at it as those who are”

Solon 638-559BC Athenian Poet, statesman and reformer

Mental Health Act 2001

“No! No! said the Queen, sentence first- verdict afterwards”

Lewis Carroll: “Alice’s adventures in wonderland (1865)”

“It is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer”

Sir William Blackstone 1723-1780

The limitations of Law

• Right to social inclusion and independent living- Article 19 UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities

• European Convention on Human Rights

Changing attitudes in society

• Accepting mental illness in the community

• The importance of relationships

• “Psychiatry is probably the single most destructive force that has affected the American society within the last fifty years.”  ~Thomas S. Szasz

It’s Only Medication

“The doctors were very brave about my illness”

Dorothy Parker

The non-autonomous

“I think, therefore I am”

Rene Descartes: “Discourse de la methode” (1637)

“The sentient human being”

Immanuel Kant

Risk Management?

Restraint and seclusion

“It is now recognised internationally that seclusion and restraint can be significantly reduced and in many cases eliminated. Our intention should be to eliminate it”

Queensland state policy document

STIGMA and Public Attitudes

Just 41% of thosesurveyed thoughtpeople with mentalhealth problemsshould have childrenif they wished. Only61% believed that peoplewith mental healthproblems had the right tofulfilment through sexualRelationships “Public Attitudes towards people with

disabilities” NDA 2007.

STIGMA and Public Attitudes

48% of respondents disagreed with the statement; “People with mental health problems should have the same rights as anyone else”

NOSP 2007 “Mental Health in Ireland:

Awareness and attitudes”.

Social Exclusion

“People with a diagnosis of mental illness, as a group, are severely socially excluded in Irish Society”

(Quarterly National Household survey, CSO 2004)

Negative generalisationsStereotypesLanguageMedia messagesIngrained assumptions

The importance of Language

“Thank you for your submission”

Letter from Govt. Department

Have you moved

your bowels today?

No, They are still in the same place.

Different Perspectives

• Seeing things from other viewpoints

• Supporting the “wrong” choice

“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it

yourself”

• “I’m drowning

here, and you’re

describing the

water”(Jack Nicholson,

“As good as it gets”)

Thank you for listening