Improving the rights of people with mental disorders in the Republic of Croatia

Abstract The mental health care system in the Republic of Croatia, despite the ongoing reform, is still based on hospital treatment. Hospitalizations due to mental disorders are in first place according to the length of stay. According to the annual report of the Ombudsman in the Republic of Croatia, 2% of hospitalizations due to mental disorders are involuntary hospitalization. Coercive measures and deprivation of business capacity are also often used. In order to reduce the number of coercive measures, involuntary hospitalizations and deprivation of professional capacity, it is necessary to increase mental health literacy and knowledge about human rights and the rights of persons with mental disorders, both among mental health experts and among patients and their families, as well as the general public. In order to increase knowledge and skills related to the rights of people with mental disorders, the Croatian Institute of Public Health, has been conducting WHO Quality Rights workshops in Croatian counties since 2019. The two-day workshops include all stakeholders: local politicians and decision-makers, associations of people with mental disorders and their families, employees in the mental health care system with the involvement of the media. So far, the training has been conducted in five major Croatian counties. The Quality Rights e-training platform has been translated into Croatian and the link to access the training is available online. In order to ensure the sustainability of the program and expand knowledge and skills, obtaining a certificate of completed Quality Right training became a requirement for passing the specialist exam in public health and in psychiatry. In five years of implementation of the program, the number of coercive measures in psychiatric hospitals decreased by 58%. Respect for human rights is a prerequisite for improving the mental health care system and the mental health. of both patients and the entire population. Key messages • Respect for human rights is necessary for the mental health of the population. • Knowledge and skills about the rights of patients with mental disorders reduce the rate of coercive measures.