Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Aug;16(3):68-70.
doi: 10.1192/bji.2018.24.

Mental health legislation in Botswana

J Maphisa Maphisa  1
Affiliations

Mental health legislation in Botswana

J Maphisa Maphisa. BJPsych Int. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

The Mental Disorders Act of 1969 is the primary legislation relating to mental health in Botswana. Despite the country not being a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, its Act has a self-rated score of four out of five on compliance to human rights covenants. However, it can be argued that the Act does not adequately espouse a human rights- and patient-centred approach to legislation. It is hoped that ongoing efforts to revise the Act will address the limitations discussed in this article.

Keywords: Human rights; psychiatry and law; stigma and discrimination.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Maphisa J. M. (2016) ‘Lunacy defence’ in Botswana's criminal law: reflections of a mental health practitioner. University of Botswana Law Journal, 22, 82–101.
    1. Mental Disorders Act of 1969 (CAP. 63:02). Government Printer, Gaborone.
    1. Sidandi P., Opondo P. & Tidimane S. (2011) Mental health in Botswana. British Journal of Psychiatry International, 8(3), 66–68. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sharma K. C. (2010) Role of local government in Botswana for effective service delivery: challenges, prospects and lessons. Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, 6, 135–142.
    1. Statistics Botswana (2011) 2011 Population and Housing Census Available at https://www.statsbots.org.bw/sites/default/files/publications/Population....