Representation in the Field of Mental Health

V magistrski nalogi z naslovom »Problematika zastopanja na področju duševnega zdravja« je kritično analizirana pravna ureditev zastopanja na področju duševnega zdravja v Republiki Sloveniji. Gre za področje, ki je lahko zaradi nedoslednosti in nedorečenosti pravne ureditve izpostavljeno raznim kršitvam tako s področja človekovih kakor tudi pacientovih pravic. Za potrebe magistrske naloge so bile uporabljene predvsem metoda analize in sinteze, primerjalnopravna metoda ter metoda deskripcije. Preučevanje je bilo usmerjeno tako v relevantno domačo kakor tudi znanstveno in strokovno literaturo s tega področja, relevantne pravne vire ter mednarodno in domačo sodno prakso s tega področja. Temeljni cilj magistrske naloge je bil usmerjen v predstavitev zastopanja oseb, ki imajo težave v duševnem zdravju, ki se je v praksi izkazalo kot področje duševnega zdravja, ki povzroča vsem deležnikom (osebe s težavami na področju duševnega zdravja, svojci teh oseb, odvetniki, socialnovarstveni zavodi, centri za socialno delo, sodišča…) na tem področju mnoge težave. Ugotovljeno je, da je slovenski zakonodajalec sicer sledil aktom na mednarodnem področju in da je besedila le-teh prenesel v slovensko zakonodajo (še posebej Zakon o duševnem zdravju, Zakon o pacientovih pravicah,…), vendar pa s tem niso rešene vse težave, še posebej možnosti večkratnega vodenja postopkov zoper osebo, ki ima težave z duševnim zdravjem. Kljub dokaj novi zakonodaji na področju duševnega zdravja, so se že oblikovale številne sodne prakse, ki pa jih socialnovarstveni zavodi s težavo udejanjajo pri svojem vsakdanjem delu (npr. prezasedenost, agresivni varovanci,…). Analiza pravne ureditve, sodne prakse in sodobnih mednarodnih smernic na tem zadevnem področju je tako pokazala, da bo potrebno spremeniti in dopolniti tako Zakon o duševnem zdravju kakor tudi Zakon o pacientovih pravicah. Oboje z namenom, da se zagotovi ustrezno in sodobno pravno varstvo oseb, ki imajo težave v duševnem zdravju, in spadajo zaradi tega med ranljive skupine prebivalstva. Primerna in kakovostna pravna ureditev področja zastopanja teh oseb bo lahko doprinesla k uresničevanju in spoštovanju človekovih kakor tudi pacientovih pravic.This master’s thesis, entitled “Representation in the Field of Mental Health”, provides a critical analysis of the legal regulation of representation in the field of mental health in the Republic of Slovenia. Due to its inconsistent and incomplete legal regulation, this field is at risk of violations in the field of human rights as well the field of patients’ rights. The main methodologies applied in the thesis include analysis and synthesis, legal comparison, and description. For the purposes of the thesis, the relevant Slovene scientific and professional literature was studied, as well as the relevant legal sources and Slovene and international legal practice in this field. The fundamental objective of the thesis was to present the issue of the representation of persons with mental health issues, which in practice proves to be one aspect of the mental health field that causes a great deal of trouble for all stakeholders (persons with mental health issues, the relatives thereof, lawyers, social care institutions, social work centres, the courts, etc.). It establishes that although the Slovenian legislature has observed international acts connected to this field and has transposed the content of such into Slovene legislation (above all, the Mental Health Act, the Act on Patients’ Rights, etc.), such has not resolved all the problems, in particular, the possibility of conducting multiple procedures against a person with mental health issues. Despite the legislation regarding the field of mental health being fairly recent, relatively extensive case law has already been established in this field, which social welfare institutions struggle to put into practice in their everyday work (due to, e.g., being overburdened aggressive patients, etc.). Our analysis of the applicative legal regulation, case law, and contemporary international guidelines in this field demonstrates the necessity to amend and supplement both the Mental Health Act as well as the Patients’ Rights Act, with the intention of ensuring appropriate and contemporary legal protection of persons with mental health issues, who are among the vulnerable groups in society. Appropriate and high-quality legal regulation of the representation of such persons will contribute to the realisation of and respect for human rights and patients’ rights