Public mental health and patient autonomy-an area of conflict?

Abstract

Public mental health (PMH) interventions aim to promote and improve the well-being of members of asociety. PMH is based on anormative understanding of what well-being is and what factors contribute to it. Without necessarily disclosing it, measures of aPMH program may affect the autonomy of individuals if their personal perceptions regarding their own individual well-being differ from PMH's prescriptions for well-being oriented toward societal goals. In this paper, we discuss this potential tension between the possible goals of PMH and those of the addressees.