WHO Tweeted About Rights-Based Mental Health Services

People are more than their mental health diagnosis, and they must be given all the rights and services they deserve. People with mental health disorders are often criticized and discriminated against, they are not even given the right opportunity to prove themselves. Then there are many examples who, when given all the right-based services, did amazing in their careers and life paths.

WHO begins the global roll-out of an online training course on understanding & promoting the human rights and recovery of people living with Mental Health conditions. During the launch event, hundreds of participants from around the world heard WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr. Michelle Bachelet, the Ministers of Health of France and Portugal, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Mental Health, Cynthia Germanotta and people with lived experience of mental health conditions explain the significant benefits of the training. Widespread uptake will not only help address the stigma and discrimination experienced by people with mental health conditions but will also contribute to the improvement of mental health services such that they are respectful of human rights and focused on recovery.

Training is already available in nearly a dozen languages. The interactive course, available in 11 languages, has been developed for a wide variety of groups, including people involved in making decisions about mental health care provision, those who provide mental health care and psychosocial support, and people who have received or are receiving support for their mental health. The modules can be followed at users’ own pace, and generally take about 16 hours to complete in full.

Feedback from early adopter countries has been very positive, with evaluations indicating significant shifts in mindsets on issues such as providing people with choice and information about treatment options; implementation of alternatives to seclusion and restraint; and promotion of recovery, hope, and community inclusion.

A number of other countries, including Armenia, Croatia, Estonia, France, Indonesia, Italy, Paraguay, and Poland, are planning to introduce the training in the near future. In addition, some thirty organizations working in the area of mental health, including professional associations and academic institutions, have committed to supporting the global roll-out.

Over To You:
The online training is an activity of the broader QualityRights initiative, to support the transformation of mental health systems such that they are based on recovery, rights, and inclusion. Any person diagnosed with mental health disorder should not be put back but given the rights because they are more than their mental health disorder.