Conference on New Law on Psychiatry to Improve Situation

Conference on New Law on Psychiatry to Improve Situation 

Global Initiative on Psychiatry Tbilisi (formally Geneva Initiative on Psychiatry Tbilisi), leading organization on mental health and human rights at the Caucasus and central Asia, organized on 3 and 4 October 2005 its 25th Jubilee, international conference in Tbilisi under the name “Mental Disorders and Society: How to protect Human Rights of mentally disordered”.

The conference was attended experts from The Netherlands, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and UK, representing both Governments and NGOs.

At the conference there was presented draft of the new law on psychiatry that now lies at the Parliament for approval. The draft was prepared by leading experts in Georgia with input of foreign experts to assure that the new law is in line with modern European standards. The main difference between old and new law on psychiatry is better protection of psychiatric patients’ human rights, prevention of misuse of involuntary admissions and treatment and improvement in decision structure on such involuntary regimen.

Participants discussed the new law and made very useful comments. One of the main points was an appropriate introduction and implementation of the new law in practice. GIP-Tbilisi will facilitate, after parliamentary approval of the new law, its dissemination, training of health professionals and informing the public. The organization will also initiate forming of an independent council of mental health and human rights organizations to monitor closely proper implementation of the new law and prevention of abuse of the human rights of the patients in closed institutions.