World Mental Health Day is observed annually on October 10. It is an international day to raise awareness for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.
It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. This year the day is being celebrated under the theme: “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change”
Meanwhile, earlier today, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new guide to support countries in shifting away from institutionalized mental health care models focused on long-term stays in psychiatric hospitals towards person-centred care in the community that respects people’s rights and choices.
Many people with mental health conditions are currently living in large psychiatric hospitals and social care institutions. Nearly half are kept in these facilities involuntarily for months, years, or even decades, isolating them from the outside world, the WHO said.
The new guide sets out practical actions for psychiatric hospital leaders to implement DI. It focuses on reducing psychiatric hospital admissions and long stays, changing institutional practices to better protect people’s rights, and helping people leave hospital and return to community life with the support they need.
Many countries are working to strengthen community-based mental health services, but progress remains uneven. WHO’s Mental Health Atlas found that only 9% of reporting countries had fully shifted to community-based mental health care, while more than half (53%) were still at an early stage of reform. More than one in four (28%) people admitted to psychiatric hospitals stayed longer than six months.
The guide was developed with experts from around the world, including people with lived experience. Its practical approaches can be adapted to different countries and local contexts.
