title: Perceived human rights violation in persons with mental illness: role of education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  People with mental illness are vulnerable to human rights violations and people with illiteracy and mental illness are at a double disadvantage.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the role of education in ascertaining human rights needs of people with mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a descriptive study carried out among randomly selected (N = 100) recovered psychiatric patients with mental illness in the past based on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale at a tertiary care centre. Data were collected through face-to-face interview using structured needs assessment questionnaire comprising two sections related to family and community domains. Data were analysed and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our findings revealed that human rights needs in the physical needs dimension--i.e., access to electricity (χ2 = 5.523, p < .019) and safe drinking water facilities (χ2 = 9.665, p < .022)--were rated higher in illiterates than in literates. The human rights needs in emotional dimension - i.e. feeling separated from their families because of their illness (χ2 = 13.118, p < .004), afraid of family members (χ2 = 13.388, p < .004) and called filthy nicknames (χ2 = 17.759, p < .000) - were rated higher in literates than in illiterates. The human rights needs in the religious needs dimension - i.e. allowed to go to temple, church, mosque etc. (χ2 = 12.000, p < .007) - and in the social needs dimension - i.e. friendliness with family members -were rated higher in illiterates than in literates (χ2 = 9.661, p < .022).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Empowering people with mental illness by providing adequate opportunity to pursue education will play an important role in fulfilling the obligation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Deemed University, Bangalore, India. g.koopmans@bmg.eur.nl
authors.forename: Poreddi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vijayalakshmi
authors.lastname: Ramachandra
authors.forename: Konduru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reddemma
authors.forename: Suresh Bada
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Math
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006806:Human Rights / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult