The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged countries to move away from long-term psychiatric hospital stays and adopt community-based mental healthcare that protects patients’ rights, dignity and choices.
The organisation made the call in a statement issued on Friday ahead of World Mental Health Day, observed annually on October 10.
The 2026 edition is themed “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change”, highlighting the importance of involving people with mental health conditions in decisions affecting their lives.
According to WHO, many people with mental health conditions remain in large psychiatric hospitals and social care institutions, with nearly half held involuntarily for months, years or even decades.
The organisation described deinstitutionalisation as helping people who have spent six months or longer in psychiatric hospitals return to community life with the care, support and opportunities needed to live fulfilling lives.
“People should not have to give up their freedom, dignity or place in their community to receive ongoing mental health support,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
He urged governments to reduce their reliance on long-term institutional care and redirect investments towards rights-based mental health services within communities.
WHO Raises Concerns Over Long-Term Psychiatric Care
According to WHO’s Mental Health Atlas, only nine per cent of reporting countries had fully transitioned to community-based mental healthcare, while 53 per cent remained at an early stage of reform.
The report also found that more than one in four people admitted to psychiatric hospitals stayed for longer than six months, underscoring the challenges countries face in moving away from prolonged institutional care.
WHO Releases Guide for Mental Health Reforms
WHO also released a new guide to help countries reform mental health services and support people leaving psychiatric hospitals to return to their communities.
The guide aligns with this year’s theme, which emphasises the need to involve people with mental health conditions in shaping policies, services and decisions that affect their lives.
WHO said people who have experienced institutional care are often excluded from decisions about mental health system reforms, despite their knowledge of the challenges associated with treatment, recovery and reintegration into society.
The new guide outlines practical steps for psychiatric hospital leaders to reduce admissions and prolonged stays, improve care practices, protect patients’ rights and support people transitioning back into society.
Housing, Jobs and Family Support Key to Recovery
WHO stressed that moving towards community-based care requires more than changes within psychiatric hospitals.
It said access to housing, healthcare, social support, education and employment opportunities is essential to helping people live independently in their communities.
The organisation also highlighted the need to support families caring for relatives transitioning from institutional settings.
WHO’s call places renewed emphasis on mental healthcare systems that protect individual rights while providing the practical support people need to recover and participate fully in society.
