Communities and people can unite in support of the theme “Mental health is a universal human right” on World Mental Health Day in 2023 to advance knowledge, raise awareness, and inspire initiatives that promote and safeguard everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.
The right to mental health is a fundamental human right. No matter who they are or where they live, everyone has a right to the highest degree of mental health. This includes access to readily available, inexpensive, high-quality care, liberty, independence, and social inclusion. It also has the right to be protected from risks to one’s mental health.
Our physical and mental well-being are interdependent. However, one in eight people worldwide suffers from mental health disorders, which can hurt their physical health, well-being, interpersonal relationships, and ability to earn a living. Teenagers and young adults are becoming increasingly affected by mental health issues.
Never should a person’s mental health condition serve as justification for denying them their human rights or keeping them out of discussions about their health. Yet, people with mental health issues continue to be subjected to various human rights violations on a global scale.
Many people are excluded from communal life and subjected to discrimination. In contrast, many more cannot receive the necessary mental health care or can only access care that infringes on their human rights.
Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) jointly launched new guidance entitled “Mental Health, Human Rights, and Legislation: guidance and Practice” to support countries in reforming legislation to end human rights abuses and increase access to quality mental health care.
Promoting More Effective Community-based Mental Health Care
Psychiatric institutions get the majority of reported government spending on mental health (43% in high-income countries). However, research indicates that compared to institutional forms of mental health care, community-based care services are more readily available, reasonably priced, and productive.
The guidance outlines what must be done to hasten deinstitutionalization and establish a rights-based community approach to mental health treatment. Adopting laws to gradually replace mental health facilities with mainstream services and inclusive community support networks, such as income support, housing help, and peer support networks, is part of this.
Ending Coercive Practices
To respect the freedom to choose one’s health care and treatment options, coercive methods in mental health must be eliminated, such as forced therapy, forced detention, isolation, and restraints.
Additionally, a growing body of research shows how coercive tactics harm physical and mental health, frequently exacerbating an individual’s preexisting ailment and alienating them from their support networks.
The advice suggests legal regulations to end coercion in mental health services and make accessible and informed consent the cornerstone of all cognitive health-related interventions. Additionally, it offers recommendations for how more complex cases can be resolved through laws and policies without resorting to coercive measures.
Guidance For Right-based Approach To Mental Health
The new guidance is directed at all legislators and policy-makers involved in drafting, amending, and implementing legislation impacting mental health, such as laws addressing poverty, inequality, and discrimination, recognizing that mental health is not solely the responsibility of the health care sector.
The updated guidance also includes a checklist that nations can use to determine whether their domestic laws protecting mental health adhere to their commitments under international human rights law. The guidance also emphasizes the value of public education, awareness of rights-based problems, and the consultation of people with lived experience and their representative organizations as an essential component of this process.
Although the guidance suggests principles and provisions that can be reflected in national legislation, nations may modify and customize these following their unique circumstances (national context, languages, cultural sensitivities, legal systems, etc.) without compromising human rights standards.
However, to ensure that everyone may exercise their human rights and obtain the high-quality mental health treatment they require, WHO continues to collaborate with its partners to ensure that mental health is recognized, promoted, and safeguarded. Learn more about your fundamental right to mental health and how to defend the rights of others by participating in the World Mental Health Day 2023 campaign.
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