Welcome to the 22nd WCP Congress Program Scheduling

The relationship between mental health and human rights is complex and bidirectional. Global mental health movements have been emphasizing the promotion of human rights in mental healthcare in accordance with international human rights legislation. However, there are still multiple reports about human rights violations from around the world. The main objective of this session, by an international panel of experts, is to present human rights violations in current psychiatric practices and to offer a framework to conceptualize and implement change at global and local levels. This brief overview will demonstrate that despite significant recent improvements in mental health service delivery, there are continuing prominence of stigmatizing attitudes, human rights violations, and lack of systematic measures to avoid these in mental health settings. The human rights perspective requires society, particularly clinicians and policymakers, to actively promote necessary conditions for all individuals to fully realize their rights. We suggest developing a more comprehensive model that integrates human rights into existing services and approaches. A model that recognizes that all people with mental health conditions are rights holders.The session will be co-chaired by Dr. Dainus Puras, Professor of Psychiatry at Vilnius University, Lithuania, and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health; and Dr. Artin Mahdanian, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Our panel of experts and speakers consists of Dr. Chonnakarn Jatchavala from Thailand, Dr. Pereira-Sanchez from New York University, USA, and Dr. Margaret Isioma Ojeahere from Nigeria. Some talks might be in a recorded presentation format. A panel consist of at least 3 people will be available in person to run a Q & A session.