World Health Organization issues new guidelines to tackle mental health

As the World Commemorates Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines, asking Member States and partners to accelerate efforts in mental health in a human-right-based approach.

According to WHO despite the existence of legislation against abuse in many countries, mentally ill individuals still face involuntary hospitalization, forced treatment, and psychological and emotional abuse while in care.

In a new joint statement that the organization released together with the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR), countries are asked to reform legislations in order to end human rights abuses and increase access to quality mental health care.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “mental health is an integral and essential component of the right to health. This new guidance will support countries to make the changes needed to provide quality mental health care that assists a person’s recovery and respects their dignity,”

While it’s a common practice for sufferers of mental illness to be secluded and forced into care, the new guidelines suggest an end to such practices, saying a growing body of evidence has found coercive practices to negatively impact physical and mental health.

The guideline added that this is often compounding a person’s existing condition while alienating them from their support systems.

The guidance proposes legislative provisions that require free and informed consent as the basis of all mental health-related interventions.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said mental health services need to be truly responsive to the needs and dignity of the individual.

Mental health, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes their abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to their community.

It is not merely the absence of mental disorders but a positive state of mental and emotional well-being. This definition aligns with the broader conception of human rights as not only freedoms from harm but freedoms to lead a fulfilling life.

WHO further noted that Several Member States have updated their mental health policies and laws to include the components of international human rights instruments and other Member States are in the process of incorporating these components.