Mental Health and Social Justice: A Vision for the 21st Century

If the American Orthopsychiatric Association is to prosper, it must follow a vision grounded in its historic concern with social justice, relevant to contemporary concerns, and pursued through the expertise of its members. Such a vision may lie in a 3-part agenda: (a) a psychologically-minded analysis of, and advocacy for, human rights; (b) attention to mental health concerns in the work of the Washington Group of international agencies; and (c) advocacy for access by disadvantaged people with mental health problems to a broad array of services and to a climate of respect.