Mental illness and discrimination are taboo subjects for many people and are often avoided in mainstream discourse. In this informative book, the authors have engaged with the subject matter at hand with precision and clarity. The reader is offered an enlightening perspective on the means by which legislation can be employed to effect social change for people with mental health problems.
The impetus for this book arose out of a legislative review that was commissioned with the aim of detailing progressive actions that could assist in protecting people with mental illness from discrimination and abuse. In terms of the methodology employed in this review, the lead author interviewed key experts and country informants and engaged in extensive sampling. This book is the culmination of that review process and, as such, it greatly benefits from the conceptual and empirical framework from which it emerges.
The book provides an overview of a range of global statutes pertaining to the area of mental health. It is also permeated with critical analysis of the discriminatory situations that people with mental health problems face on a daily basis. The authors are well placed to engage in such critical analysis, coming from a wide range of professional backgrounds within the field of human rights, with expertise in mental health law, psychiatry and sociology, to name but a few. Their diverse authorial voices enrich the substantive content of the book, which covers a wide terrain of the key areas in which legislation can be effectively employed in the fight against discrimination. The areas covered include discrimination in decision making, education, employment, housing and health care. In addition, the book contains a useful outline of examples of best practice in implementation and enforcement, in recognition of the fact that legal reform alone is not sufficient to effect change.
The authors take a practical and cohesive approach to the subject matter. This is achieved, in large part, by the fact that the chapters of the book are generously sprinkled with vignettes, legislative and policy case studies and resource notes. These tools keep the reader focused at all times on the issues that lie at the heart of the research conducted. Furthermore, they serve as concrete examples of how the central thesis of the book – the use of the law in the fight for social justice – is being realised on a global scale.
At the outset, the authors detail the limitations of the research, given the fact that the book arose out of a specific review framework. For example, it is acknowledged that certain regions of the world were not included, due to the fact that the examples submitted for review offered weak protection for people with mental health problems. While there are, therefore, issues that could not be tackled within the confines of this particular volume, the book will nonetheless serve as a rich resource for many groups. It will add considerable value to the work of those who are already in the field of mental health and related disciplines, as well as those working in advocacy organisations. It will also serve as a transparent guide for people with mental illness and their carers. This book will, undoubtedly, also be a useful resource for those who have little experience of the subject matter, as the approach taken is straightforward, yet highly effective. The language used throughout the book is clear and unadorned and the authors preface the substantive chapters of the book with a clarification of the key principles and concepts that are at the core of the research.
The publication of this book comes at an opportune time. Its subject matter is fitting, in the light of the changes heralded by the recently enacted United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. To all who read this book, its contents should serve as a timely reminder of the transformative power of the law in the complex terrain of mental illness.
There is no doubt that the authors have succeeded in the task that they set out to achieve, that is, to demonstrate the role that legislation can play in advancing the rights of people with mental illness. The authors, themselves, admit that the law is but one piece of a complex jigsaw in the fight for social justice and that legislation will need to be carefully backed up by ‘social, structural and political action’ in order to effectively address inequalities. Therefore, potential readers should bear in mind that this book might be read in conjunction with other literature that tackles the foregoing aspects of the reform agenda. Notwithstanding this, it is undeniable that Mental Illness, Discrimination and the Law: Fighting for Social Justice is a valuable addition to the literature in the domain of mental health and does not disappoint on its stated objectives. For this, the authors deserve to be commended.
