Your Mental Health Rights: How They Protect and Support Your Recovery

A publication of the Ohio Legal Rights Service (OLRS)
March 2004

The information provided in any OLRS publication is not a substitute for legal advice. You should consult with a lawyer concerning your rights in a specific case. Contact your local bar association or visit the Ohio State Bar Association Web site to find a lawyer in your area.

This publication is about your mental health rights and how those rights can protect and support your recovery. Your rights, and the information in this publication, come from Ohio law, which includes statutes, legislative rules and court decisions. But you should know that sometimes your rights can be limited because of reasons that are written in your treatment plan. If you have questions about your rights, or if you want help to understand any right, you may contact Ohio Legal Rights Service, the Ohio Department of Mental Health, or you can talk with an advocate or a lawyer. Refer to the Resources section for information on how to contact these agencies.

Contents

• Your Rights in General
• Your Rights to Dignity, Respect and Privacy
• Your Rights to Make Informed Choices
• Your Rights to Treatment
• Your Rights to Social Interaction and Communication
• Your Rights to Religious Freedom and Practice
• Your Rights to Complain and Be Heard
• Your Rights if You Have a Forensic Commitment
• Resources
• Final Tips

This book is protected by copyright under United States law and by international copyright laws and treaty provisions. You may copy and distribute the work provided that you use the work for personal, noncommercial use; do not add the work to a collection or use it with any other text, photographs, artwork, etc; do not modify or alter the work in any way or delete or modify any copyright; and do not publish or post all or any part of the work on any Internet site or in or on any other media without obtaining the prior written consent of Ohio Legal Rights Service.

Copyright © 2004 Ohio Legal Rights Service. All rights reserved.

Ohio Legal Rights Service prepared this publication, in part, with funding from the Ohio Department of Mental Health, through a grant from the federal Center for Mental Health Services. Additional funding was provided through grants under The Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Act of 1986, administered by the Center for Mental Health Services, United States Department of Health and Human Services.

Ohio Legal Rights Service does not discriminate in provision of service or employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, military service, disability, or age.

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