ABSTRACT
Political contexts of democratization, revolutionary waves and reaffirmation of civil and political rights, tend to stimulate the acknowledgement of the rights of people with mental illness, particularly those still living in asylums or using inpatient settings. In particular, the organization of networks of mutual support and the political mobilization of mental health workers, users, their relatives and allied social movements have been a key element for initiating the process of psychiatric reform and the development of critical psychosocial approaches. Unlike most developed nations, Third World countries tend to show a much more unstable political scenario, with mental health systems and the development of psychosocial programmes highly dependent on such changes and on the direct political action taken by stakeholders in the field.
