Advocacy for Mental Health, Rights of PMIs and their Carers

Social stigma and discrimination make mental health problems worse and stop people and their families from getting help they need. Addressing stigma associated with mental health is very challenging. Fear and misunderstanding often lead to prejudice against people with mental illnesses. It’s one of the main reasons why many people don’t consider it a real health issue. This prejudice and discrimination leads to feelings of hopelessness and shame in those struggling to cope with their situation, creating a serious barrier to diagnosis and treatment. Stigma profoundly changes how people feel about themselves and the way others see them.

Advocacy for mental health aims to create an enabling environment at the community level and with policy makers & implementors for greater resources and policy implementation. The Mental HealthCare Act 2017 has a rights-based approach and provisions for ensuring that PMIs and their families have access to mental health facilities. However, mere legislation is not enough for implementing the Act at the ground level. Mental health legal literacy is important for making people aware and mobilising them to get their voices heard and actions taken effectively.