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Rights-based Existential Psychiatry & Mental Health

A transdiagnostic, eclectic, & patient-centred approach of Acceptance, Behavioural, Cognitive, Dynamic, & Existential therapies as a road to recovery

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MEDICAL ADVICE DISCLAIMER: This website does not provide medical or psychiatric advice.
This website is for informational and educational purposes. It does not represent any organization. No information is intended to substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding a mental health condition or treatment. Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The content is accurate to the best of my knowledge, however, I cannot be held liable for errors or omissions. 

Rights-based Psychiatry

Human rights-based psychiatry is an approach to mental health care that is grounded in the principles of human rights and focuses on protecting and promoting the rights of individuals with mental health conditions. It recognizes that people with mental health conditions have the same inherent human rights as anyone else, and these rights should be respected, protected, and fulfilled throughout all aspects of their care.

At its core, human rights-based psychiatry emphasizes the principles of dignity, autonomy, non-discrimination, and participation. It acknowledges that individuals with mental health conditions have the right to make decisions about their own treatment, to be free from coercion or forced treatment, and to be involved in the decision-making process regarding their care. It also recognizes the right to privacy, confidentiality, and access to information.

In addition, human rights-based psychiatry promotes the importance of providing mental health services in the least restrictive environment possible. This means ensuring that individuals are supported in community-based settings rather than being unnecessarily confined to institutions or hospitals.

Collaboration and partnership between mental health professionals, individuals with mental health conditions, families, and communities are fundamental to the practice of human rights-based psychiatry. It seeks to empower individuals, respect their diverse experiences and perspectives, and involve them as active participants in their own care.

Overall, human rights-based psychiatry aims to create a mental health care system that upholds and promotes the rights and dignity of individuals with mental health conditions, fostering an environment of respect, empowerment, and recovery.             Dr Artin Mahdanian

Existential Psychiatry

Existential psychiatry draws on existential philosophy to understand and address mental health conditions. Existential philosophy explores questions about human existence, meaning, freedom, responsibility, and the nature of reality. Existential psychiatry applies these philosophical principles to the field of mental health, emphasizing the subjective experience of individuals and their search for meaning in life.

Key concepts in existential psychiatry include:

  1. Death: the concept of death plays a profound role in shaping the individual's understanding of existence and the human condition. Death is not merely viewed as a biological event but as an existential reality that defines the very essence of human existence. The awareness of one's mortality serves as a catalyst for self-reflection and an impetus for individuals to confront the fundamental questions of meaning, purpose, and authenticity in their lives. Existential psychotherapy encourages individuals to grapple with the inevitability of death, fostering a deeper appreciation for the fleeting nature of time and the urgency to create a meaningful and purposeful existence. By embracing the existential anxiety associated with mortality, individuals are prompted to make choices that align with their authentic values, contributing to a richer and more fulfilling life experience. Death, in this context, becomes a poignant and transformative force, propelling individuals toward a more profound engagement with their existence.

  2. Freedom, Choice and Responsibility: Existentialists argue that individuals have freedom of choice and are responsible for their actions. In the context of mental health, this involves exploring how individuals navigate their choices and take responsibility for their mental well-being.

  3. Meaning and Purpose: Existential psychiatry places a strong emphasis on the search for meaning and purpose in life. Mental health difficulties may be viewed as linked to a lack of meaning or an existential crisis, and therapy may focus on helping individuals find or create meaning in their lives.

  4. Isolation and Connection: Existential philosophy explores the tension between individual isolation and the need for connection with others. Existential psychiatry may address issues related to loneliness, social isolation, and the human need for meaningful relationships.
  5. Authenticity: Existentialists advocate for living authentically, being true to oneself, and making choices that align with one's values and beliefs. In the context of mental health, this can involve exploring how individuals can live more authentically and align their actions with their true selves.
  6. Existential Anxiety: This refers to the fundamental anxiety that arises from the awareness of one's own existence, mortality, and the uncertainty of the future. Existential psychiatry explores how individuals cope with and make meaning out of this anxiety.

 

Existential psychiatry is a framework for understanding and approaching mental health issues. Psychiatrists who incorporate existential principles may draw from various therapeutic approaches, such as existential therapy, to help individuals explore and navigate their existential concerns. Existential psychiatry encourages a holistic understanding of individuals and their mental health struggles within the broader context of their existential experience.

Dynamic Eclectic Existential Psychotherapy

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Existential Mental Health

Dynamic Eclectic Existential Psychotherapy is a form of therapy in which the clinician uses multiple sets of techniques from the following therapeutic approaches:

Acceptance Therapy: a mindfulness approach that involves acknowledging and embracing your thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and life events before any trial to alter them.

Behavioural Therapy: identifying and helping change potentially self-destructive, maladaptive, and unhealthy behaviours using techniques derived from behaviourism.

Cognitive Therapy: recognizing one's distortions in thinking that are creating emotional and behavioural disturbances, and then reevaluating them in light of reality.

Dynamic Therapy: focusing on awareness and understanding of the influence of the past and unconscious processes on the present as manifested in behaviours, thoughts, & dreams.

Existential Therapy: focusing on concepts that are universally applicable to human existence such as death, freedom, responsibility, isolation, authenticity and the meaning of life.

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate"

Dr Carl Jung