The World Health Organization published new guidance designed to shift mental healthcare to community settings.
In an Oct. 9 news release, the organization also said around the world, human rights abuses and coercive practices persist in mental healthcare.
Here are three things to know about the new guidance:
- The WHO advises countries to promote community-based mental health. According to the organization, 43% of government mental health spending in high-income countries is directed to psychiatric hospitals, which are costlier and less accessible than community-based support.
- The organization drafted legislative guidelines designed to end coercive practices like involuntary restraint, forced treatment and seclusion in mental health services.
- The WHO created guidance based on the idea that mental health support is not the responsibility of the healthcare sector alone, but all policymakers.
Read more here.