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.

Globally, mental health is and has been a neglected topic of engagement to the extent that stigma, discrimination and ignorance attached to mental health disorders result in various forms of abuse inflicted on those with a diagnosis. The "victims" are often disempowered and then left without a "voice" to express their needs or to participate fully in their own lives in order to achieve a better quality of life. Despite the fact that stigma, discrimination and ignorance still exist, much has improved, where mental health care users have obtained a "voice" through advocacy movements and have become more empowered. This has occurred through various partnerships that have influenced policies and legislation to focus on protecting and respecting the rights of all persons with all types of disabilities, including psychosocial and intellectual disabilities. This publication looks at the work of the Gauteng Consumer Advocacy Movement (GCAM) as a best practice model in facilitating self-advocacy and has garnered input from mental health care users through various surveys to best represent them as one "voice," and further looks at empowerment through partnerships.