GENAVA, Switzerland — The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday launched new guidance to help all countries reform and strengthen mental health policies and systems. Mental health services worldwide remain underfunded, with major gaps in access and quality.

“In some countries, up to 90 per cent of people with severe mental health conditions receive no care at all, while many existing services rely on outdated institutional models that fail to meet international human rights standards.

“The guidance provides a clear framework to transform mental health services in line with the latest evidence and international human rights standards, ensuring quality care is accessible to all,“ the WHO said in a release.

“Despite rising demand, quality mental health services remain out of reach for many people,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general. “This new guidance gives all governments the tools to promote and protect mental health and build systems that serve everyone.”

While effective prevention and treatment interventions exist, most people living with mental health conditions do not have access to these. The new WHO guidance sets out concrete actions to help countries close these gaps and ensure mental health is promoted and protected, with a focus on:

• protecting and upholding human rights, ensuring mental health policies and services are aligned with international human rights standards;

• promoting holistic care with an emphasis on lifestyle and physical health, psychological, social, and economic interventions;

• addressing social and economic factors that shape and affect mental health, including employment, housing, and education;

• implementing prevention strategies and promote population-wide mental health and well-being; and

• ensuring people with lived experience are empowered to participate in policy planning and design to ensure mental health policies and services are responsive to their needs.

The guidance identifies five key policy areas requiring urgent reform: leadership and governance, service organisation, workforce development, person-centred interventions, and addressing social and structural determinants of mental health.

The WHO guidance serves as a critical tool for governments, policymakers, and stakeholders working to strengthen mental health systems and improve access to mental health care.

By offering a menu of policy directives, strategies, and actions to guide reform efforts, the guidance supports policymakers to prioritise and tailor policies to their specific national context, in line with their available resources and operational structures.

“This new WHO guidance provides practical strategies for countries to build inclusive, responsive, and resilient mental health systems. Designed to be flexible, it allows all countries — whether low- middle- or high-income — to adapt their approach to mental health care based on national context, needs, and priorities,” said Dr Michelle Funk, unit head, policy, law and human rights in the WHO Department for Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

The guidance was developed in consultation with global experts, policymakers, and individuals with lived experience. The policy guidance also builds on the resources, guidance, and tools developed under the WHO QualityRights initiative, aiming to promote a person-centred, recovery-oriented, and rights-based approach to mental health. WHO will support countries in implementing the guidance through technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives.