Mental health is a human right
Training Module on the Right to Mental Health for the Security Sector
Our health and the health of those we care about is a part of daily interest and
concern. Regardless of age, gender, socio-economic or ethnic background, we
consider our health to be our most basic and essential asset.
Problems with health, on the other hand, can prevent us from going to school
or to work, from attending to our family responsibilities or from participating
fully in the activities of our community. At the same time, we are willing to
make many sacrifices to guarantee us and our families a longer and healthier
life.
Fundamental freedoms and basic rights (UN Human Rights, 17 December 1991):
1. All persons have the right to the best available mental health care, which
shall be part of the health and social care system.
2. All persons with a mental illness, or who are being treated as such persons,
shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the
human person.
3. There shall be no discrimination on the grounds of mental illness.
Key Facts:
•
According to World Health Organization (WHO), health is a state of complete
physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of
disease.
•
Mr. Danius Puras, United Nations (UN) right to health expert, pointed out
that despite evidence that there cannot be health without mental health,
nowhere in the world does mental health enjoy parity with physical health
in terms of budgeting, or medical education and practice.
•
WHO estimates that from 2014, globally, only seven percent of health
budgets are allocated to address mental health.
•
In lower-income countries, less than USD 2 is spent per person on mental
health annually.
Why is so little attention given to mental health care when one in four people
will be affected by a mental health condition throughout their lifetime? The
answer may lie in persistent stigma and discrimination.
UN Human Rights office points out that people with mental health conditions
and those with psychosocial disabilities experience disproportionately higher
rates of poor physical health and have a reduced life expectancy – a 20-year
drop for men and 15 years for women – compared with the general population.
Interrupted or restricted access to education limits employment opportunities
for people with mental health conditions and those with psychosocial
disabilities, thus perpetuating social inequality.
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