Mental Health as a Basic Human Right and the Interference of Commercialized Science

Although there is consensus that a rights-based approach to mental health is needed, there is disagreement about how best to conceptualize and execute it. The dominance of the medical model and industry’s influence on psychiatry has led to an over-emphasis on intra-individual solutions, namely incre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health and human rights 2020-06, Vol.22 (1), p.61-68
Main Authors: COSGROVE, LISA, SHAUGHNESSY, ALLEN F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Appreciation
Commercialization
Dominance
Health education
Health Promotion
Health Services Accessibility
Human Rights
Humans
Mental Health
MENTAL HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Mental health promotion
Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Psychiatry
Psychosocial factors
Science
Social Medicine
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Summary:Although there is consensus that a rights-based approach to mental health is needed, there is disagreement about how best to conceptualize and execute it. The dominance of the medical model and industry’s influence on psychiatry has led to an over-emphasis on intra-individual solutions, namely increasing individuals’ access to biomedical treatments, with a resultant under-appreciation for the social and psychosocial determinants of health and the need for population-based health promotion. This paper argues that a robust rights-based approach to mental health is needed in order to overcome the effects of commercial interests on the mental health field. We show how commercialized science—the use of science primarily to meet industry needs—deflects attention away from the sociopolitical determinants of health, and we offer solutions for reform.
ISSN:1079-0969
2150-4113
2150-4113