ABSTRACT
Independent advocacy concerns the representation of people by others who may not share their experiences but can present their case. Sometimes linked with the aim of advocacy is a desire to act to improve matters for people with mental disorders. An early rights activist and advocacy group was Mad Pride. Background influences informing advocacy and the importance of language in relation to mental disorders include criticisms of a medical model of disability and a preference for a social perspective. An example of an argument about the importance of language in relation to activism and advocacy is provided by an essay on the MindFreedom International website accessed in 2016. In the United States, a nonprofit organisation, MindFreedom International, brings together some one hundred sponsor and grass-roots groups with individual members. The aim is to 'win human rights and alternatives for people labelled with psychiatric disabilities’.
