Since adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the interpretive General Comment 1, the topic of legal capacity in mental health settings has generated considerable debate in disciplines ranging from law and psychiatry to public health and public policy. With over 180 countries having ratified the Convention, the shifts required in law and clinical practice need to be informed by interdisciplinary and contextually relevant research as well as the views of stakeholders. With an equal emphasis on the Global North and Global South, this volume offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis of legal capacity in the realm of mental health. Integrating rigorous academic research with perspectives from people with psychosocial disabilities and their caregivers, the authors provide a holistic overview of pertinent issues and suggest avenues for reform.

'I welcome the initiative of the group of scholars, mental health practitioners, human rights experts and persons with disabilities that has led to the publication of Mental Health, Legal Capacity, and Human Rights. Only by working together, can we succeed. Building knowledge is the path to drawing the roadmap towards more just and inclusive societies.'

António Guterres - United Nations Secretary-General (from the Foreword to the volume)

‘… the most useful book that has been published in recent times … offers a ‘comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis of legal capacity in the realm of mental health.’ … readers from all backgrounds with an interest in these critically important issues will find themselves informed, stimulated and challenged in equal ways. Especially in the circumstances of the pandemic … the editors are to be congratulated on bringing together, and home, such an important work.’

Alex Ruck Keene Source: Mental Capacity Law and Policy