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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2005;294:297.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 122 words of the full text and any section headings.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to adopt legislation to help protect individuals with mental disorders, noting that in many countries, those with mental, neurological, or behavioral problems are among society’s most vulnerable, facing social isolation and stigmatization and lacking adequate legal protection.

Last month, as part of on ongoing effort to help countries implement progressive mental health laws, the WHO announced the release of a new publication, the WHO Resource Book on Mental Health, Human Rights and Legislation. The book illustrates how a human rights approach to mental health law improves the access to and quality of psychiatric care and how to draft, adopt, and implement appropriate legislation.

The publication is available online at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2005/924156282X.pdf.