This page was translated automatically from Turkish. Read the original

This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

Mental health and human rights: balancing protection and autonomy

"mental health and human rights: balancing protection and autonomy"-

A rights-based approach to psychiatry requires decision-specific assessments of capacity, strict criteria for coercive practices, and a shift from substitute decision-making to supported decision-making.

The conference addresses the fundamental tension between mental health and human rights: the duty to protect vulnerable individuals and the obligation to respect their autonomy and dignity. It emphasizes that mental health systems have historically prioritized protection, often through paternalistic and institutional approaches that undermine individual liberty, whereas the contemporary human rights paradigm, strengthened by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), calls for a decisive shift toward autonomy, inclusion, and supported decision-making. Mental capacity is understood not as a static, all-or-nothing characteristic, but as a fluctuating, decision-specific ability requiring culturally sensitive clinical assessment; the distinction between impaired capacity and an irrational decision is highlighted as crucial to avoiding excessive paternalism. Coercive treatment, including involuntary admission and treatment, is presented as potentially necessary to prevent serious harm, but also as a profound interference with rights that must be subject to criteria of necessity, proportionality, use of the least restrictive option, and independent oversight. The presentation criticizes the overuse of coercion and offers alternatives based on crisis intervention and advance directives. In conclusion, advocacy by service users, families, civil society organizations, and professionals, the strengthening of legal safeguards, and the reduction of stigma are presented as essential steps toward a rights-based approach to psychiatry that both protects and empowers.

All WCP 2026 summaries