The consumer of therapy in mental health.

The current emphasis on consumer advocacy and accountability in health care has implications for the practice of occupational therapy in mental health. The consumer movement that gained national attention during the 1960s was marked by the passage in 1962 of a congressional bill that affirmed the consumer's right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, and the right to be heard. These four rights, as well as the concept of client self-determination (seen as an additional right of the client to determine his or her own participation in the evaluation and treatment process), can be applied to occupational therapy practice. Occupational therapists must begin to address the aspects of accountability to the consumer by understanding both the concept and the principles of consumerism and the consequences of focusing on the patient or client as consumer. Therapists must then attempt to apply these principles to practice. Principles of consumerism can be incorporated into practice in clinical, administrative, and educational settings.