Mental health services and human rights highlighted in Italy

Mental health services and human rights are being highlighted through different initiatives in Italy. In Cagliari, the exhibition ‘Psychiatry and Human Rights’ opened at Manifattura Tabacchi. Organized by the Comitato dei Cittadini per i Diritti Umani (CCDU), the event traces the history of psychiatry and encourages critical reflection on the current psychiatric system and the protection of human rights.

In Rome, a Japanese delegation of mental health experts visited ASL Roma 2 to study the Italian model of care. The visit focused on the evolution of the system following the Basaglia reform and Law 180 of 1978, which moved away from asylum-based models toward community-based services, social inclusion, and integrated territorial care. The delegation observed the functioning of mental health centers, day centers, and rehabilitative communities, comparing the Italian approach to the hospital-centric model still prevalent in Japan.