Issues related to stakeholder sovereignty in mental health care: From the rhetoric to a vision for the future

Throughout the developed world, one of the main goals of mental health care is to successfully involve patients in making decisions related to all aspects of their care, from deciding their treatment regimens to being involved in strategic service provision. This paper explores the historical context of the stakeholder sovereignty movement, along with the 'participation continuum'and other theoretical constructs related to the subject. A brief overview of the main issues related to the development of stakeholder sovereignty where, in an ideal situation, people facing mental health issues have control over their care, treatment, and life options, is given. The reality of the current situation is briefly examined and, finally, ways to achieve successful power redistribution are suggested.