A/72/53/Add.1 Deeply concerned that persons with mental health conditions or psychosocial disabilities, in particular persons using mental health services, may be subject to, inter alia, widespread discrimination, stigma, prejudice, violence, abuse, social exclusion and segregation, unlawful or arbitrary institutionalization, overmedicalization and treatment practices that fail to respect their autonomy, will and preferences, Equally concerned that such practices may constitute or lead to violations and abuses of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, sometimes amounting to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and conscious that greater commitment is needed to address all remaining challenges in this regard, Recognizing the need to protect, promote and respect all human rights in the global response to mental health-related issues, and stressing that mental health and community services should integrate a human rights perspective so as to avoid any harm to persons using them and to respect their dignity, integrity, choices and inclusion in the community, Concerned at the instances of multiple, intersecting and aggravated forms of discrimination, stigma, violence and abuses that affect the enjoyment of human rights in the context of mental health, and recalling how important it is for States to adopt, implement, update, strengthen or monitor, as appropriate, laws, policies and practices to eradicate any form of discrimination, stigma, violence and abuse in this regard, Recognizing the particularly important role that psychiatry and other mental health professions should have, alongside, inter alia, government institutions and services, actors within the justice system, including the penitentiary system, civil society organizations and national human rights institutions, in taking measures to ensure that practices in the field of mental health do not perpetuate stigma and discrimination or lead to violations or abuses of human rights, Acknowledging that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities laid the foundation for a paradigm shift in mental health and created the momentum for deinstitutionalization and the identification of a model of care based on respect for human rights that, inter alia, addresses the global burden of obstacles in mental health, provides effective mental health and community-based services and respects the enjoyment of legal capacity on an equal basis with others, Reaffirming that the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is an inclusive right, and reaffirming also the need to address issues related to health care and to the underlying determinants of health in this context, Recalling that, according to the Constitution of the World Health Organization, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, Concerned that there is a continuing lack of parity between physical and mental health reflected in the marginalization of mental health within health policies and budgets or in medical education, research and practice, and stressing the importance of investing more on mental health promotion through a multisectoral approach that is based on respect for human rights and that also addresses the underlying social, economic and environmental determinants of mental health, Underscoring that States should ensure that persons with mental health conditions or psychosocial disabilities, in particular persons using mental health services, have access to a range of support services that are based on respect for human rights in order to live independently, be included in the community, exercise their autonomy and agency, participate meaningfully in and decide upon all matters affecting them and have their dignity respected, on an equal basis with others, Reaffirming the right of refugees and migrants to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and underscoring the vulnerable situations that can have a negative impact on the mental health of persons on the move, Recognizing that women and girls with mental health conditions or psychosocial disabilities at all ages, in particular those using mental health services, face an increased vulnerability to violence, abuse, discrimination and negative stereotyping, and underscoring the need to take all appropriate measures to ensure access to mental health and community services that are gender-sensitive, 34 GE.17-18194