Stigma, discrimination, and human rights violations remain major barriers to effective mental health care globally, undermining prevention, treatment access, recovery outcomes, and social inclusion. This chapter critically examines the multidimensional nature of stigma and discrimination in mental health care from public health, sociological, and human rights perspectives. Drawing on contemporary global mental health literature and international policy frameworks, the chapter explores how public stigma, self-stigma, structural stigma, and institutional discrimination continue to shape the experiences of individuals living with mental illness across diverse social and healthcare contexts. The discussion integrates major theoretical perspectives, including Goffman’s Stigma Theory, Labelling Theory, Social Identity Theory, ecological frameworks, and human rights-based approaches, to explain the persistence and systemic nature of stigma in mental health systems.
The chapter further analyzes the manifestations of discrimination in healthcare institutions, employment, education, and legal systems, highlighting disparities between high-income and low- and middle-income countries. Particular attention is given to international human rights frameworks such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and the WHO QualityRights initiative, which collectively advocate dignity, autonomy, informed consent, and community inclusion in mental health care. Emerging challenges, including digital stigma, intersectionality, humanitarian crises, and global mental health inequalities, are also critically examined.
Additionally, the chapter evaluates evidence-based strategies for reducing stigma and promoting human rights, including mental health literacy campaigns, contact-based interventions, anti-discrimination legislation, community-based rehabilitation, integration of mental health into primary healthcare, and service-user empowerment. The role of healthcare professionals and institutions in advancing ethical, person-centred, and recovery-oriented care is emphasized. The chapter concludes that addressing stigma and discrimination requires comprehensive structural reforms, rights-based policies, community participation, and sustained global commitment to equitable and inclusive mental health systems. Ultimately, the promotion of human rights in mental health care is presented as both a public health necessity and a moral imperative for achieving social justice and global health equity.
Keywords: Mental health stigma, discrimination, human rights, recovery-oriented care, structural stigma, mental health policy, social exclusion, public health, CRPD, global mental health.