Holistic and innovative models of mental health policy are critical, UN expert says

GENEVA (9 October 2023) – States must develop new and innovative models of mental health policy where emphasis is on the provision of holistic support, a UN expert said today. Ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, Tlaleng Mofokeng, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, issued the following statement:

“On World Mental Health Day, we are reminded that the promotion and protection of the mental health and well-being of everyone, using a life cycle approach, from early childhood to old age, is critical to the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

A life-cycle approach to the right to mental health can be one method of identifying the challenges and opportunities for full realisation of the right to health. It is during some important stages of life that there is a greater risk of violations of human rights, including mental health.

Inequality is the starting point for millions of people around the world. This inequality affects peoples’ access to the underlying determinants of health, such as education, access to drinking water, a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and housing, among others, which in turn affects peoples’ health outcomes.

Adverse health outcomes are not just about individual predispositions or genetics. They are also about oppressive systems that have created discriminatory hierarchies, including racial hierarchies, that enable persistent social discrimination beyond formal colonial structures and continue to perpetuate health inequalities. We must remain aware of how a global world order in which people are persecuted because of their gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, class position, migration status or disability, affects mental health as a result of discrimination, social exclusion, marginalisation, criminalisation and exploitation.

We must also remain committed to being anti-racist and anti-colonial because some countries have an entrenched colonial psychiatric system, while others have no formalised psychiatric system at all.

I call on States to develop new and innovative models of mental health policy, with an emphasis on promoting holistic care and identifying what recovery means for individuals and communities. Practices of coercion, involuntary treatment and forced institutionalisation are incompatible with a human rights-based approach to mental health.

Ending inequalities is imperative to developing solutions to improve determinants of health and access to goods, services and facilities for physical and mental health and well-being. This entails a human rights-based approach to mental health systems, where everyone that requires mental health support is first and foremost recognised before the law as a person, with equal rights and equal recognition; where the integrity and dignity of each person is guaranteed; and where we invest in community mental health systems.

Today, the message is clear: there can be no good approach to mental health without human rights.”

The expert: Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.