All people have the right to the highest attainable standard of mental health and to live free from discrimination based on psychiatric diagnosis or mental health status. This page centers the expertise of people with lived experience of psychiatric conditions on their own experiences and needs.
Psychiatric and psychosocial disabilities include mental health conditions that significantly impact daily life. People with these conditions have organized for decades for rights, against forced treatment, and for services that actually help.
¶ Understanding Psychiatric Disability
¶ Terminology and Frameworks
Different terms reflect different perspectives:
Psychiatric disability: Emphasizes that mental health conditions can be disabilities deserving of accommodations and rights protections.
Psychosocial disability: Term used internationally (especially in UN contexts) emphasizing the social aspects of mental health-related disability — how society's response to mental health differences creates barriers.
Mental illness/mental health condition: Medical terms focusing on diagnosis and treatment.
Consumer/survivor/ex-patient (c/s/x): Terms used within the psychiatric survivor movement.
Mad identity: Some people reclaim "mad" as a positive identity, similar to how "queer" has been reclaimed.
People use different terms based on their experience and perspective. Respect individual choices.
Expertise from experience: People with psychiatric conditions are experts on their own experiences. Peer support — support from others with lived experience — is often more effective than professional treatment alone.
Social model applies: While mental health conditions are real, much of what disables people comes from stigma, discrimination, lack of appropriate services, and societal response to mental difference.
Forced treatment is controversial: The psychiatric survivor movement has documented extensive harm from involuntary treatment. Many advocate for alternatives to coercion.
Recovery is possible: Recovery doesn't necessarily mean cure or absence of symptoms — it means living a meaningful life. Many people with serious psychiatric conditions live well.
¶ Conditions and Experiences
Major depression involves persistent low mood, loss of interest/pleasure, and other symptoms affecting daily functioning.
Understanding depression:
- More than sadness — involves physical symptoms, cognitive effects, functional limitations
- Varies from single episodes to recurrent or chronic
- Can be mild to severely disabling
- Not a character flaw or weakness
What helps:
- Therapy (many types can be effective)
- Medication (helps many but not everyone; takes time to find right one)
- Peer support
- Lifestyle factors (when possible with depression's limitations)
- Addressing life circumstances when relevant
Typical providers: Psychiatrist, therapist/counselor, primary care physician (for medication in less complex cases)
Includes generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, phobias, and more.
Understanding anxiety disorders:
- More than occasional worry — persistent, excessive, interfering with life
- Physical symptoms (racing heart, sweating, tension, etc.)
- Avoidance behaviors
- Often co-occurs with depression
What helps:
- Therapy (CBT, exposure therapy, and others)
- Medication (SSRIs, SNRIs, sometimes benzodiazepines with caution)
- Peer support
- Accommodations for anxiety-provoking situations
Involves mood episodes — depression and mania or hypomania (elevated/energized states).
Understanding bipolar:
- Bipolar I: Manic episodes (may or may not include psychosis) and usually depression
- Bipolar II: Hypomania (less severe than mania) and depression
- Not just "mood swings" — episodes are distinct periods lasting days to months
- Many people with bipolar live stable lives with support and treatment
What helps:
- Mood stabilizers (lithium, anticonvulsants)
- Sometimes antipsychotics or antidepressants
- Therapy
- Routine, sleep hygiene
- Recognizing warning signs of episodes
- Peer support
Typical providers: Psychiatrist (important for medication management), therapist
¶ Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders
Involves experiences like hallucinations (hearing/seeing things others don't), delusions (beliefs not shared by others), and disorganized thinking.
Understanding psychosis:
- Affects about 1% of population
- Onset often in late teens/early adulthood
- With support, many people manage symptoms and live meaningful lives
- Media stereotypes of violence are inaccurate — people with psychotic disorders are more likely to be victims than perpetrators
Voices and visions: Not everyone with psychosis wants to eliminate their experiences. Hearing Voices Movement supports people in understanding and living with voice-hearing, not just suppressing it.
What helps:
- Antipsychotic medications (help many but have significant side effects)
- Therapy (CBT for psychosis, open dialogue approaches)
- Peer support
- Supportive employment and housing
- Early intervention programs
Typical providers: Psychiatrist, mental health team, peer specialists
Organizations: Hearing Voices Network (led by voice-hearers)
¶ PTSD and Complex Trauma
Post-traumatic stress disorder involves lasting effects from trauma. Complex PTSD results from prolonged/repeated trauma.
Understanding trauma:
- Not weakness — neurological response to overwhelming experience
- Symptoms include flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoidance, emotional changes
- Complex trauma affects relationships, self-image, emotional regulation
- Many people with psychiatric conditions also have trauma histories
What helps:
- Trauma-informed therapy (EMDR, trauma-focused CBT, somatic approaches)
- Building safety and stability
- Peer support
- For some, medication
- Time and compassionate support
Note: Trauma is common in disability communities — from medical trauma, abuse, ableism, and more.
Involves intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions).
Understanding OCD:
- Not just hand-washing or organizing — obsessions can be about anything
- Compulsions are attempts to neutralize anxiety from obsessions
- Can be severely disabling
- Not about liking things neat
What helps:
- ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) — gold standard therapy
- Medication (SSRIs at higher doses)
- Support in resisting compulsions
Long-standing patterns of relating to self and others that cause distress.
Important context:
- "Personality disorder" is a controversial diagnostic category
- BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) in particular has been criticized as a stigmatizing label often applied to trauma survivors, especially women
- Many people find these diagnoses helpful for understanding themselves; others find them harmful
Common diagnoses:
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Emotional intensity, relationship difficulties, self-harm
- Other personality disorders: Avoidant, dependent, narcissistic, etc.
What helps for BPD:
- DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) — developed specifically for BPD
- Schema therapy
- Mentalization-based treatment
- Peer support
- Trauma treatment when relevant
Includes anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and others.
Understanding eating disorders:
- Serious psychiatric conditions, not lifestyle choices
- Highest mortality rate of any mental illness
- Affect all genders, body sizes, ages, races
- Often co-occur with autism, ADHD, OCD, trauma
What helps:
- Specialized treatment (ED-focused therapy and sometimes higher levels of care)
- Nutritional rehabilitation
- Addressing co-occurring conditions
- Peer support
- For some, medication
Note: Diet culture and weight stigma harm people with eating disorders. Look for weight-neutral or Health at Every Size-informed treatment.
Includes Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), DPDR, dissociative amnesia.
Understanding dissociation:
- Dissociation is disconnection from thoughts, feelings, surroundings, or identity
- Everyone dissociates sometimes; disorders involve significant, distressing dissociation
- DID (formerly "multiple personality disorder") involves distinct identity states — usually develops from severe early trauma
- Media representations are largely inaccurate
What helps:
- Trauma-informed therapy (slow, careful, building safety first)
- Peer support (DID communities online)
- Grounding techniques
- Stability and safety
Substance use disorders, schizoaffective disorder, adjustment disorders, and many more. The guidance in this page applies broadly.
Accessing services:
- Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) serve people regardless of ability to pay
- Private therapy (often $100-300/session without insurance)
- Insurance coverage varies — mental health parity laws help but aren't perfectly enforced
- Psychiatric hospital emergency rooms for crisis (though experiences vary widely)
- Peer support programs growing but not available everywhere
Benefits:
- SSDI and SSI for psychiatric disabilities
- Medicaid covers mental health services
- Medicare covers mental health with copays
- FMLA for mental health leave
Rights:
- ADA covers psychiatric disabilities — reasonable accommodations required
- Fair Housing Act protects against housing discrimination
- Some states have stronger mental health rights laws
Involuntary treatment:
- States have varying laws for involuntary commitment
- Disability Rights organizations can help with rights during hospitalization
- Patient advocates exist in some facilities
Organizations:
- Mental Health America — advocacy and support
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) — large organization (some controversy in survivor community about positions on forced treatment)
- The Icarus Project/Fireweed Collective — radical mental health
- Hearing Voices Network USA
- Disability Rights organizations in each state — can help with hospitalization rights
Services:
- Provincial health coverage for psychiatrists and some counselors
- Long wait times for psychiatrists in many areas
- Community mental health teams
- Private therapy not covered by provincial health plans (some private insurance covers)
Benefits:
- Provincial disability assistance programs
- Canada Pension Plan Disability
- See Canada Benefits
Rights:
- Human rights protections for mental health conditions
- Provincial mental health acts govern involuntary treatment
Organizations:
- Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
- Mad Pride Canada
- Provincial disability rights organizations
Services:
- NHS mental health services (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies — IAPT for common conditions)
- Crisis teams
- Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) for more complex needs
- Long wait times for many services
- Some private therapy available
Benefits:
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP) — psychiatric conditions can qualify
- Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance
- Access to Work for employment accommodations
- See UK Benefits
Rights:
- Mental Health Act governs involuntary treatment
- Mental Capacity Act protects decision-making rights
- Equality Act protects against discrimination
Organizations:
- Mind — large mental health charity
- Hearing Voices Network UK
- National Survivor User Network (NSUN) — survivor-led
- Recovery in the Bin — critical perspectives
Services:
- Medicare covers some mental health appointments (Mental Health Care Plan from GP)
- Public mental health services
- Headspace for young people
- Private therapy available (some rebate through Medicare)
NDIS:
- Psychosocial disability is eligible category
- May fund support workers, therapy, employment support
- Eligibility requires "permanent" disability — controversial for conditions that may fluctuate or recover
- See Australia Benefits
Rights:
- State/territory mental health acts
- Disability Discrimination Act
Organizations:
- SANE Australia
- Flourish Australia — peer support and services
- HVN Australia — Hearing Voices Network
Mental health services and rights vary dramatically worldwide:
- Many countries have limited mental health services
- Stigma levels vary but are common everywhere
- Institutionalization still prevalent in some countries
- Human rights monitoring addresses psychiatric abuses
WHO and UN frameworks:
- WHO emphasizes community-based mental health care
- UN CRPD Article 12 (legal capacity) and Article 14 (liberty) are relevant to psychiatric survivors' rights
- UN has called for end to coercive practices
See International Rights.
¶ Treatment and Support
Many therapy types can help for different conditions:
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): Examines thoughts and behaviors; evidence-based for depression, anxiety, others
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy): Skills-based; developed for BPD; useful for emotional regulation
EMDR: Eye movement desensitization; for trauma
Psychodynamic therapy: Explores underlying patterns
Open Dialogue: Approach emphasizing dialogue and minimal medication; developed in Finland
Finding a good therapist:
- Look for someone who listens and respects your expertise
- Modality matters less than relationship
- You can try different therapists
- Peer support is also valuable
Psychiatric medications help many people but aren't for everyone.
Considerations:
- Can take time to find right medication and dose
- Side effects are real and should be taken seriously
- Coming off medication should be done carefully, not abruptly
- Your decision whether to use medication should be respected
Types: Antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants, and others.
Informed consent: You have the right to understand what you're taking, potential effects, alternatives. This includes the right to refuse medication (though involuntary treatment laws can override this in some circumstances).
Support from others with lived experience is increasingly recognized as effective:
Types of peer support:
- Peer specialists/support workers (paid positions)
- Peer-run organizations
- Support groups
- Online communities
- Warmlines (peer-staffed phone lines)
Why peer support works:
- Shared understanding
- Hope from seeing others who've been there
- Practical strategies that work
- Non-hierarchical relationship
Crisis alternatives:
- 988 (US): Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (can connect to local services)
- Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 (US)
- Warmlines: Peer support by phone (varies by location)
- Peer respites: Alternatives to hospitalization (limited but growing)
- Mobile crisis teams: Come to you instead of police/hospital
See Crisis resources, Disabled Crisis Support.
Psychiatric hospitalization can be voluntary or involuntary.
Know your rights:
- You have rights even during involuntary holds
- Patient advocates may be available
- Document your experiences
- Disability rights organizations can help
Advance directives: Psychiatric advance directives let you document your preferences in advance — what treatments you want or don't want, who can make decisions, what helps in crisis.
People with psychiatric conditions develop strategies for daily life:
Routine and structure: Can help stabilize mood and anxiety
Identifying triggers: Knowing what worsens symptoms
Warning signs: Recognizing when symptoms are escalating
Support network: People who can help during difficult times
Self-care: What helps you stay well (different for everyone)
¶ Work and Employment
Many people with psychiatric conditions work; others cannot.
Accommodations:
- Flexible hours
- Work from home options
- Modified workload during episodes
- Private space for breaks
- Leave for appointments
- Clear communication and expectations
Disclosure: You don't have to disclose diagnosis — only functional limitations and needed accommodations.
See Workplace Accommodations, Employment Rights by Country.
¶ Benefits and Not Working
If you cannot work due to psychiatric disability:
- Disability benefits exist (though often inadequate)
- Application often requires documentation of treatment
- Appeals are common — don't give up after first denial
- Your value is not determined by work capacity
See Benefits, SSDI, SSI.
¶ Stigma and Discrimination
Stigma against psychiatric conditions remains significant:
Impacts of stigma:
- Employment discrimination
- Housing discrimination
- Healthcare discrimination (symptoms dismissed)
- Relationship difficulties
- Internalized shame
- Violence and criminalization
Fighting back:
- Disclosure on your own terms, when/if you choose
- Advocating for yourself
- Connecting with others who understand
- Challenging stereotypes
- Policy advocacy
Mental illness is often misrepresented in media:
- Violence is overemphasized (people with mental illness are more likely to be victims)
- "Crazy" is used as shorthand for violent or dangerous
- Recovery and ordinary life are underrepresented
Changing the narrative: People with lived experience are increasingly visible in media, advocacy, and public life.
¶ BIPOC and Mental Health
- Less access to mental health services
- More likely to experience harmful treatment
- Racism itself causes mental health harm
- Cultural considerations often ignored
- Black and Indigenous people more likely to be involuntarily committed
- Need for culturally responsive and anti-racist services
¶ LGBTQ+ and Mental Health
- Higher rates of mental health conditions (due to minority stress, discrimination)
- Need for affirming services
- Conversion therapy causes harm
- Trans-specific mental health needs
¶ Poverty and Mental Health
- Poverty causes mental health problems
- Mental health problems can cause poverty
- Lack of access to quality services
- Housing instability
- Cycle can be hard to break
¶ Disability and Mental Health
- Many people have both psychiatric and other disabilities
- Trauma from medical system
- Disability can affect mental health
- Mental health conditions can cause physical disability
See Intersectionality section.
¶ Rights and Advocacy
The psychiatric survivor movement has fought for:
- Ending forced treatment
- Alternatives to hospitalization
- Peer-run services
- Full legal rights
- Reparations for harm
- Mad Pride
Key organizations: Hearing Voices Network, The Icarus Project/Fireweed Collective, MindFreedom, National Empowerment Center.
Mental health treatment rights:
- Informed consent
- Least restrictive treatment
- Confidentiality
- Appeals of involuntary treatment
- Psychiatric advance directives
Civil rights:
- Protection from discrimination in employment, housing
- Voting rights (cannot be denied based on disability)
- Parental rights (mental illness alone is not grounds for termination)
Getting help with rights violations:
- Protection & Advocacy organizations (US)
- Disability rights organizations
- Mental health advocacy organizations
See Rights & Advocacy, Advocacy & Self-Advocacy.
If you've recently received a psychiatric diagnosis:
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The diagnosis is a tool, not your entire identity. It may be helpful for understanding yourself and accessing services. It doesn't define you.
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Find your people. Others with similar experiences can offer hope, strategies, and understanding.
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Treatment is your choice. You have the right to informed consent and to make decisions about your care.
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Recovery is possible. Many people with psychiatric conditions live meaningful lives. What recovery looks like is individual.
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Take what works, leave what doesn't. Not all treatments, therapies, or approaches will fit you.
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You're not alone. Psychiatric conditions are common. There's a whole community.
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Question what you're told. Including by professionals. You're the expert on your experience.