Compendium of good practices to promote voluntary measures

Physical and mental integrity

Compendium of good practices to promote voluntary measures in the field of mental healthcare

In mental healthcare for persons with psychosocial disabilities the focus is shifting towards avoiding recourse to involuntary measures. To assist member States in this shift, the Committee on Bioethics has developped a Compendium of good practices to promote voluntary measures in mental healthcare, both at a preventive level and in situations of crisis, by focusing on examples in member States.

objective objective

Safeguarding the rights of persons with mental health difficulties

The issue of mental health is expected to be one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare systems in the future. Mental healthcare should be treated no differently to physical healthcare in that a human rights-based approach should be adopted in both. It is vital that the rights and self-determination of all patients, including persons with mental health difficulties, be promoted and that they may actively participate to the greatest possible extent in all decisions regarding their treatment and care. In this context, the development and use of voluntary measures and practices in mental healthcare should be promoted.