The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to strengthen mental health support in communities, calling for a shift away from long-term institutional care towards services that protect patients’ rights, dignity and choices.
In a statement released on October 9 ahead of World Mental Health Day, WHO introduced a new guide to help countries move towards person-centred mental health care. The approach aims to help people who have spent extended periods in psychiatric hospitals return to community life with the support they need.
Why Mental Health Support After Hospital Discharge Matters
WHO reported that nearly half of people living in large psychiatric hospitals and social care institutions are held involuntarily for months, years or even decades. Its Mental Health Atlas also found that only 9% of reporting countries had fully transitioned to community-based mental health care, while 53% remained at an early stage of reform.
According to WHO, leaving hospital is not enough on its own. People need continued access to healthcare, suitable housing, social support, education and employment opportunities. Families may also need assistance to support relatives returning to community life.
The organization’s guide encourages psychiatric hospitals to reduce unnecessary admissions and prolonged stays, improve practices that protect patients’ rights, and help people transition safely back into their communities.
However, community-based care does not mean abandoning patients or removing access to psychiatric hospitals when inpatient treatment is necessary. Rather, it means ensuring people can receive appropriate care and ongoing support without unnecessary restrictions on their freedom.
WHO also stressed that people with lived experience of institutional mental health care should participate in decisions about policies and services affecting them.
For Nigeria and other countries strengthening mental health services, the message highlights the importance of making treatment accessible beyond hospital walls. Community-based services must be adequately supported so that patients can continue receiving care while rebuilding their lives.
WHO is calling on governments to accelerate this transition and ensure mental health systems are shaped with people who have experienced mental health conditions, rather than making decisions for them without their involvement.
English