The consequences of official labels: an examination of the rights lost by the mentally ill and mentally incompetent ten years later.

This study presents a survey of state statutes which restrict the civil rights of persons with a mental illness or who have been declared mentally incompetent. Five civil rights (jury service, voting, holding public office, marriage, and parenting) are examined. The results of the 1999 study are compared with the results of a 1989 study, to reveal any trends in the restriction of the civil rights of those suffering from mental problems. This comparison reveals that states continue to restrict the rights of the mentally ill and incompetent, and that there is a trend toward increased restriction of the familial rights of marriage and parenting.