MENTAL-HEALTH LEGISLATION - A REVIEW OF S OME INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES

The main areas dealt with by current mental health legislation, worldw ide, are reviewed These areas concern mainly: (i) rights of the mental ly ill (right to care and human rights), (ii) quality of care, (iii) t he use of administrative and budget control measures, and (iv) consume r participation and involvement in the organization and management of mental health care services. The evolution of international legislatio n (particularly United Nations Declarations, Covenants and Resolutions ) relative to people with mental disorders are described on the basis of up-to-date examples of legal models from different jurisdictions th roughout the world. The main current trends are identified and alterna tives are advanced for the respect of the human rights of these people and for the improvement of their care. The basis for these proposed a lternatives is to be found in the recently approved United Nations Gen eral Assembly Resolution on ''The protection of persons with mental il lness and the improvement and the improvement of mental health care''. This Resolution is described and discussed in some detail.