A CAMPAIGN is under way to stop the "forced treatment" of people with mental health problems, writes Carl O'Brien.
The Mad Pride Ireland group says the rights of large numbers of patients are being violated by involuntary detention.
John McCarthy, a former patient and founder of Mad Pride Ireland, said the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities guarantees equal rights to all people with disabilities. The Government has signed the convention, but has yet to ratify it.
“This convention clearly states that you cannot lock somebody up because of any disability. It is time for new thinking and new leadership in mental health. Force as treatment is defunct,” he said.
The campaign includes advertisements, which will run on radio, that tell the stories of patients who are involuntarily detained in psychiatric hospitals.The advertisements will be accompanied by an online campaign and petition run from the organisation’s website (www.madprideireland.ie) as well as through social media.