Experts in the field of mental health and law have developed 10 modules.
- Module 1 : BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF MENTAL DISORDERS AND THEIR TREATMENT
- Module 2: BASIC UNDERSTANING OF LAW AND LEGAL SYSTEMS
- Module 3 : THE CONTEXT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS
- Module 4 : POLICY, SERVICE AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR MENTAL HEALTH
- Module 5 : ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE
- Module 6 : ADMISSION AND DISCHARGE FROM HOSPITAL & TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISABILITY
- Module 7 : REGULATORY AND REVIEW MECHANISMS
- Module 8 : CRIMINAL LAW AND MENTAL DISABILITY
- Module 9 : RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL DISABILITY IN THE COMMUNITY – ADDITIONAL SUBSTANTIVE PROVISIONS FOR LEGISLATION
- Module 10 : DRAFTING ADOPTING AND IMPLEMENTING MENTAL HEALTH LEGISLATION
Module 1 : BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF MENTAL DISORDERS AND THEIR TREATMENT
- Overall Learning Objective
- To provide students with a basic understanding of the concepts of mental disorder and their treatments
- The module will also describe the key features of the different mental disorders
- Contents of the Module
- Historical perspective on mental disorders
- Current Understanding of the main types of mental disorders
- Broad knowledge of diagnosis and causes, of mental disorders
- Current views of mental disorder treatments and care of persons with mental disorders
- Disability burden of mental disorders
- Direct and indirect economic costs of mental disorders
- Social costs of mental disorders
Module 2: BASIC UNDERSTANING OF LAW AND LEGAL SYSTEMS
- Overall Learning Objective
- To provide students from a non-legal background with a basic understanding of legal concepts and working of legal systems.
- The legal systems would cover civil law, common law, customary law, and mixed law systems. The emphasis is on the international aspect of these legal systems and their effects on the formulation of progressive mental health legislation. The aim is to orient students with the core areas of law, the essentials of nature of law and legal reasoning and the critique thereof and historical and social context of law in operation
- Contents of the Module
- Basic understanding of key legal concepts and the nature of legal materials covering all central areas of substantive legal knowledge in the fields of common law, civil law, customary law and mixed law systems.
- Nature and Concept of Law
- Sources of Law
- Processes of Law Making: Development of Law through Judicial, legislative and administrative processes, and comparing criminal and civil law procedures.
- Rule of Law and its relevance to mental health and human rights
- Basic understanding of International Law
Module 3 : THE CONTEXT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS
- Overall Learning Objective:
- To develop an understanding of the international human rights framework as it relates to people with mental disabilities, including the implications of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, in creating legal obligations on governments to promote and protect the rights of people with mental disabilities.
- Contents of the Module:
- At the end of the module, it is expected that students will have developed an understanding of the following:
- Human rights violations of people with mental disability in relation to access to mental health care, in psychiatric institutions and in community context
- The UN and regional human rights systems (instruments and treaty monitoring bodies)
- Key rights of people with mental disorder and international human rights provisions to protect them
- Links between human rights and mental health
Module 4 : POLICY, SERVICE AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR MENTAL HEALTH
- Overall Learning Objective:
- To develop an understanding of mental health policy, service organization and their relationship to mental health legislation
- Content of the Module:
- The role of mental health legislation in promoting human rights
- The role of mental health policies and plans in promoting human rights:
- The meaning of mental health policy, plans, and programs
- The nature of mental health, legislation, policies and plans and key principles for mental health service organization
- The vital roles each of these can play in promoting the rights of people with mental disability
- How mental health legislation, policies and service organization are mutually reinforcing and activities for their reform need to be undertaken in a coordinated manner to optimize promotion of human rights
Module 5 : ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE
- Overall Learning Objective
- To develop an understanding of how mental health legislation can promote the right to health, the right to live independently and be included in the community, and improve access to quality mental health care.
- Contents of the Module
- Financial resources for mental health care
- Integration of mental health services into general health services
- Promoting services in the community and de-institutionalization
- Allocating resources to undeserved populations
- Access to medications and psychosocial interventions
- Access to health (and other) insurance
Module 6 : ADMISSION AND DISCHARGE FROM HOSPITAL & TREATMENT OF MENTAL DISABILITY
- Overall Learning Objective:
- To understand issues around the right to exercise legal capacity ,the right to liberty and security of person , the right to informed consent and what these means in relation to processes for admission and treatment of persons with mental disability into mental health facilities and guardianship laws.
- Contents of the Module:
- Capacity and competence
- Promoting voluntary admission and treatment
- Non-protesting patients
- Informed consent, supported decision making and advance directives
- Deprivation of Liberty and treatment without free and informed consent
- Treatment in Emergency situations
- Treatments requiring additional protection
- Major medical and surgical procedures
- Seclusion and restraint
- Protection when participating in clinical and experimental research
Module 7 : REGULATORY AND REVIEW MECHANISMS
- Overall Learning Objective
- To understand the purpose, role, functions and responsibilities of regulatory and review mechanisms.
- Contents of the Module
- Mechanisms to monitor and promote quality and human rights in mental health facilities
- Complaints and remedies
- Offenses and Penalties
- Mechanisms to review cases of involuntary admission and treatment
Module 8 : CRIMINAL LAW AND MENTAL DISABILITY
- Overall Learning Objective:
- To understand the role of provisions in a country’s criminal law in promoting the rights and welfare of persons with mental disability.
- Contents of the Module:
- Police Responsibilities
- Mental Fitness to stand trial
- Mental illness as a defense
- Sentencing and treatment including diversion schemes and alternative facilities
- Post sentencing (serving sentence in prison) stage
Module 9 : RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL DISABILITY IN THE COMMUNITY – ADDITIONAL SUBSTANTIVE PROVISIONS FOR LEGISLATION
- Overall Learning Objective:
- To understand the role of civil and other legislation in promoting the rights of persons with mental disability.
- Contents of the Module:
- Anti-discrimination legislation
- Legislation to protect civil and political rights
- Legislation to protect economic, social and cultural rights
- Employment legislation
- Social Welfare legislation
- Housing Legislation
- General health care
- Integrating mental health into disability legislation
Module 10 : DRAFTING ADOPTING AND IMPLEMENTING MENTAL HEALTH LEGISLATION
- Overall Learning Objective:
- The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of the key issues involved in drafting and enacting legislation and the steps to be taken to ensure effective implementation of legislation.
- Contents of the Module:
- Identifying the country’s principal mental health needs as well as existing and likely barriers to mental health care
- Mapping Legislation relating to persons with mental disability
- Studying international conventions and standards
- Reviewing mental health legislation in other countries
- Building a consensus and negotiating for change with all stakeholder
- Educating the public
- Process of drafting and adopting mental health legislation
- Implementing mental health legislation.