The World Psychiatric Association calls for action on supporting alternatives to coercion in mental health care.

Abstract

The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) advocates for a practical approach to implementing alternatives to coercion in mental health care. It adopted a Position Statement and Call to Action in 2020 that give special attention to provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The WPA aims to continue promoting rights-based policies and practices through mutual support across its member societies in more than 120 countries. Collaborating with people with lived experience of mental health conditions and their families, and other government, research, and civil society groups is a prerequisite for this process. The call to action is relevant for people at all life stages and in all countries irrespective of resources available. The work aims to demonstrate how shared experiences and outcomes assessments can promote the spread of good practices and improved quality of mental health care. Culturally sensitive changes to treatment and care including priority for early intervention and personalised care are needed in most places. Changes are needed to policy, laws, attitudes, human and financial resources, training and research, open access to data about coercive practices, and above all readiness and capacity to work with people with lived experience and their families.