ABSTRACT
Analysis of human rights issues and their implications for the situation of people with mental illness, however, is clearly within the sociological terrain. This chapter starts with the presentation of major sociological ideas about mental illness, psychiatry, and psychiatric care and then provides a summary of the key findings within the field. Much of the sociological contribution to the understanding of the onset of mental illnesses is grounded in social epidemiology. The chapter also covers a discussion of how the sociology of mental health could enrich human rights research as well as redirect its constituent questions toward the human rights paradigm. Sociologists continue to investigate the effects of stigma and shame related to mental illness on persons with severe mental disorders and their strategies to cope with perceived devaluation and discrimination. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the possibilities for a human rights approach to the sociology of mental health.
