New resources on mental health – early access offer

05 October 2023

Ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, the World Health Organization (WHO) will release two new resources, which are now offered to journalists under embargo:

Mental health, human rights and legislation: guidance and practice

This joint guidance by WHO and the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR), aims to support countries in reforming legislation and policies in order to end human rights abuses and increase access to quality mental health care.

It sets out what needs to be done to accelerate deinstitutionalization and embed a rights-based community approach to mental health care, including adopting legislation to gradually replace psychiatric institutions with inclusive community support systems and mainstream services, such as income support, housing assistance and peer support networks.

The joint guidance is under embargo, which lifts on 09 October at 12:30 CEST (Geneva). To obtain the guidance, please write to archerm@who.int with copy to media@who.int

Mental health of refugees and migrants: risk and protective factors and access to care

The fifth report in the Global Evidence Review on Health and Migration (GEHM) series, summarizes global evidence on the main factors influencing the mental health of refugees and migrants, and determining their access to care.

Five high-level themes emerged from this evidence review, each with implications for research and policy, and relevance across refugee and migrant groups, contexts and stages of the migration process. The report’s findings are fundamental to developing better policies and practices to ensure that mental health needs of refugees and migrants are met.