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@article{193871,
        author = {RAKESH M PATEL and Prof. Dr. Narendra Kumar and Prin. Dr. Ms. Pragna A. Vadher and Prof. Dr. Sanjay Chaudhary and Dr. Gunamani B. Deheri and Dr. Priti Vasantbhai Tandel},
        title = {Service User Perspectives for Dignity in Mental Healthcare: A Mathematical Approach},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {10},
        pages = {1719-1730},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=193871},
        abstract = {Concept of Dignity: From service users’ perspectives, dignity in mental healthcare incorporates respect for personhood beyond diagnostic labels, autonomy in decision-making, protection of privacy and confidentiality, recognition of lived experience, and equitable treatment irrespective of background or socioeconomic status. Significance of Dignity: The preservation of dignity is fundamental to therapeutic engagement, as respect and validation foster trust and strengthen the therapeutic alliance. Dignity also supports identity, self-worth, and empowerment, which are integral to recovery processes. Furthermore, the protection of dignity contributes to the reduction of internalised and societal stigma associated with mental illness. Barriers to Dignity: Commonly reported barriers include entrenched power asymmetries between professionals and service users, coercive practices such as involuntary admission and restraint without sufficient communication, depersonalisation within institutional contexts, limited opportunities for choice in care and support, and stigmatizing attitudes among staff that negatively affect care quality. Strategies to Promote Dignity: Service users recommend strategies such as shared decision-making in care planning, empathetic listening, recovery-oriented approaches emphasizing strengths and aspirations, targeted staff training on rights and cultural competence, and the inclusion of peer support roles to integrate lived experience into service delivery. Research and Policy Implications: Qualitative methodologies, including interviews and focus groups, provide nuanced insights into how service users conceptualise dignity. Rights-based frameworks, notably the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, establish normative standards for ensuring dignity in mental healthcare. Policy frameworks increasingly call for person-centred, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented models that align with these dignity-based principles. What dignity means: For service users, dignity means being treated as a person first, not a diagnosis. It includes having a say in treatment decisions, ensuring privacy, valuing lived experience, and receiving fair treatment regardless of background or condition. Why dignity matters: Respectful and dignified care strengthens trust between staff and service users, improving engagement with treatment. It also supports recovery by protecting self-esteem and identity. Upholding dignity further helps to challenge stigma, both internalised and external. Barriers to dignity: Service users often face challenges such as unequal power dynamics, coercive practices without explanation, depersonalisation (e.g., being identified by diagnosis or bed number), lack of choice in care and support, and stigma from staff that undermines care quality. How to promote dignity in practice: Involve service users in decisions about their care. Listen actively and show empathy. Focus on recovery by building on people’s strengths and aspirations. Provide staff training on communication, cultural competence, and human rights. Employ peer workers with lived experience as part of the care team. Implications for services: Listening to service users through interviews and focus groups provides valuable insight into what dignity means in practice. Aligning services with rights-based and recovery-oriented frameworks, such as those set by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ensures care is both ethical and effective.},
        keywords = {Mathematical Dignity Model (MDM), Mental healthcare (MHC), Service users (SU), Peer work (PW), Knowledge co-creation (KC), Service user perspectives, Dignity in care (DC), Patient-centered care (PCC), Human rights in mental health (HRMH), Respect and autonomy (RA), Recovery-oriented practice (ROP), Lived experience (LE), Stigma reduction (SR), Ethical mental health practice (EMHP). Subject classification: Health Sciences: Mental Health, Psychiatry and Psychology, Public Health and Health Policy. Social Sciences: Sociology of Health and Illness, Social Work and Human Services, Human Rights and Ethics. Applied Mathematics: Mathematical Modelling in Healthcare, Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences, Biostatistics and Data Analytics. Interdisciplinary Studies: Health and Society, Patient-Centered Care Research, Service User Involvement Studies, Computational Social Science},
        month = {March},
        }