WHO calls for mental health care closer to home, not years behind institutional walls
Ahead of World Mental Health Day, WHO issued guidance on moving from long stays in institutions to support in the community. Only 9% of reporting countries have fully made that shift, it says. Here is what must replace isolation for the change to work.
The World Health Organization released new guidance on 9 October urging countries to replace long-term institutional mental health care with support close to where people live. It does not call for abrupt hospital closures; medical care, housing and social support must continue during the transition.
The scale of the problem
WHO says nearly half of people with mental health conditions in large institutions are kept there involuntarily for months or years. More than 28% of psychiatric hospital admissions last longer than six months. In its Mental Health Atlas, only 9% of reporting countries had fully moved to community-based care, while 53% were at an early stage of reform.
Community care can include treatment, family support, housing, education and employment opportunities while preserving a person’s place in everyday life. Hospitals cannot build this system alone. Social services and people with direct experience of institutional care need a role in designing it.
The central test is whether support is actually available after discharge. Cutting beds without a functioning network of services could leave people stranded. Quality of care and protection of rights matter more than the number of institutions closed.
Source: official announcement.
If you have found a mistake or a typo in this article, tell us about it
Comments (0)
Log in to leave a comment →
No comments yet. Be the first.