In 2014 the UN Convention on the Rights of Person’s with Disabilities (UNCRPD) recommended that policymakers and psychiatrists should “review the laws allowing for guardianship and trusteeship, and take action to develop laws and policies to replace regimes of substitute decision-making by supported decision-making, which respects the person’s autonomy, will and preferences”. These stipulations mean the disbandment of involuntary and assisted care, which are two forms of care that are conventionally used to treat people with lost mental capacity. Involuntary care specifically refers to when someone is treated without their consent, towards the restoration of their autonomy and in the interest of their and others safety . The UNCRPD's stipulations, on the other hand, mean a shift in focus to provision that ensures relational and environmental supports for people with psychosocial conditions who are in crisis, instead of treatment against the person's will.

The sentiments of GC1 have been met with caution and sometimes contention, and remain important to policy in UN signatories.

To explore some of the complexities of this debate, Alex Freeman interviews Charlene Sunkel, and Prof. George Szmukler - both experts in the field and human rights activists with different experiences and insightful perspectives towards involuntary care and psychiatric provision.

For more information about the Global Mental Health Peer Network, visit: https://www.gmhpn.org/

You can download the transcript for this episode here:
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/csmh/assets/oss-transcripts/oss-transcript-episode-15.pdf

Episode 15: The UNCRPD General Comment 1 - an end for involuntary psychiatric care?

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A podcast exploring how social changes affect mental health 🧠 Developed and presented by King's College London researchers & Experts by Experience. Funded by ESRC Impact Acceleration Account.

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