Though many states no longer prohibit the institutionalized mental patient from voting, it appears that many patients are not aware that they have this right. Discusses a plan implemented by the author, Vice-President of the Lehigh Valley Mental Health Association, Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a hospital committee to assist patients at a local…

On June 26, 1975, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled unanimously that mental patients cannot be confined against their will without treatment if they are not dangerous and are capable of surviving outside the institution. The ruling was in behalf of Kenneth Donaldson and this interview is the story of his experiences in a state mental…

Author concludes that hospital conditions are more humane than in the U.S., staff is more responsive and dedicated, drug therapy is not as prevalent. Furthermore, mental illness is not regarded as stigmatic, but instead emphasis is placed on patients regaining ability to play socially responsible and productive roles. (RW)

A case involving the mental health rights of children is currently working its way toward the Supreme Court. That case, Bartley v. Kremens, challenges the power of parents to institutionalize their children in mental hospitals or institutions for the retarded without due process of law. (Author/RK)

Discusses the circumstances under which an individual may be legally confined to a mental institution. This includes the definition of "dangerousness", the attitudes of psychiatrists and civil libertarians, and a compromise solution between those viewpoints. (Author/RK)