The Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care (MI Principles) were adopted by the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

in 1991. They provide agreed but non-legally-binding basic standards that mental health systems should meet and rights that people diagnosed with

mental disorder A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

should have. Although the document underwent extensive drafting for 20 years and remains the international human rights agreement most specifically concerned with mental health, it has been criticised for not offering stronger protections in some areas. It should now be read in the context of the United Nations

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the convention are required to promote, ...

. There are 25 principles: * Fundamental freedoms and basic rights * Protection of minors * Life in the community * Determination of mental illness * Medical examination * Confidentiality * Role of community and culture * Standards of care * Treatment * Medication * Consent to treatment * Notice of rights * Rights and conditions in mental health facilities * Resources for mental health facilities * Admission principles * Involuntary admission * Review body * Procedural safeguards * Access to information * Criminal offenders * Complaints * Monitoring and remedies * Implementation * Scope of principles relating to mental health facilities * Saving of existing rights

References

External links

Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health CareAlso on WHO website
. United Nations, 1991. {{United Nations United Nations documents United Nations General Assembly resolutions Mental health law Ethics in psychiatry 1991 in the United Nations