Abuse and neglect in mental health and social care institutions is common many parts of Europe and central Asia. Such ill-treatment includes the overuse and misuse of physical and chemical restraints, as well as beatings and rapes. An example of the inhuman use of physical constraints (cage beds) can be seen by clicking here
Psychiatric medication can benefit people, but it can also have devastating consequences, particularly when forced on people. The serious side effects of medication, which include lethargy, weight gain, memory loss, slowing of the person’s functioning, are frequently ignored.
Unfortunately, in a number of countries in which MDAC works, consent to medication is frequently not sought if a psychiatric diagnosis is made. Our staff have met many victims of medication given without consent and who have suffered serious side effects as a result. Many are afraid to make formal complaints because they have a real fear of punishment if they do so. Our legal team and its partners help many such victims by training advocates to support them if they choose to make complaints and by taking court proceedings on their behalf.
European human rights law provides that when someone dies in suspicious circumstances or in state custody there must be a prompt, effective and independent investigation. The purposes of such investigations are to find out why the person died, and how future deaths can be prevented.
In many parts of Europe and central Asia there are no such investigations into deaths in mental health and social care institutions. We are tackling this problem by representing families of people who have died in suspicious circumstances. A recent example of the need for MDAC’s work and its approach can be seen by clicking here
