Mental Health as an Essential Human Right

Introduction

Mentalica, a pioneering platform committed to offering clear and transparent guidance on digital mental health solutions, proudly joins the global community in observing World Mental Health Day 2023. Our mission is to foster a deeper understanding of why mental health is unequivocally a human right and why adopting a rights-based approach to mental health care is paramount. In alignment with the vision of the World Health Organization (WHO), we shed light on persistent issues of discrimination, coercive practices, and resource deficiencies within the mental health landscape.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), enacted in 2006, serves as a resounding reminder of the imperative need for comprehensive reforms in mental health care to safeguard and promote human rights. This commitment to human rights is also enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Political Declaration on universal health coverage. Over the past two decades, awareness of the pressing need for improved mental health services has grown, yet progress has been hampered by antiquated legal frameworks and limited resources.

The Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has unmasked the inadequacies of mental health systems worldwide, illuminating the dire consequences of institutionalization, the absence of cohesive social networks, and the isolation faced by individuals grappling with mental health conditions. Moreover, it has spotlighted the fragmented nature of community mental health services. In response, it is imperative that we aspire to mental health services that steadfastly reject coercion, empower individuals to make informed decisions about their treatment, and actively promote participation and community inclusion in every aspect of their lives.

The WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2020–2030

To pave the way for lasting transformation, the WHO has meticulously crafted the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2020–2030. This visionary blueprint serves as an inspiration and a practical roadmap, offering nations the means to prioritise and implement a person-centred, rights-based, and recovery-oriented approach to mental health.

Mentalica stands shoulder to shoulder with the WHO in showcasing exemplary mental health services from around the world. This guidance empowers nations to develop and rejuvenate community-based services through a resolute human rights lens. The plan underscores fundamental rights such as equality, non-discrimination, legal capacity, informed consent, and community inclusion. It provides a clear path towards eradicating institutionalization and involuntary hospitalization and treatment, offering concrete steps for establishing mental health services that honour the inherent dignity of each individual.

A Collective Responsibility

Elevating mental health services to international human rights standards is a collective responsibility that transcends borders. Policymakers, service providers, civil society, and individuals with lived experiences of mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities all hold pivotal roles to play. Together, we can propel the necessary changes in policy and practice to ensure that mental health care consistently respects and upholds human rights.

A Vision for the Future

The guidance provided by the WHO and championed by Mentalica calls upon policymakers worldwide to act with urgency and determination. It beckons for increased investment in community-based mental health services that align with international human rights standards. This vision extends a lifeline of hope to millions of individuals contending with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities, along with their families. It promises a brighter future through mental health care that steadfastly respects their dignity and rights.

Conclusion

Mental health is indisputably a fundamental human right. As we commemorate World Mental Health Day in 2023, Mentalica reaffirms its commitment to fostering accessibility to effective mental health solutions—a cornerstone of this right. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the inadequacies of existing systems, reinforcing the urgency for change. The WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2020–2030 provides a resolute roadmap towards this objective. It calls upon all of us – policymakers, service providers, civil society, and individuals with lived experiences – to unite and ensure that mental health services unswervingly respect and uphold the rights of every individual. Let us collectively strive to create a future where mental health is not a privilege but an unequivocal human right for all.

Based on:
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/341648/9789240025707-eng.pdf