Mental Health and Well-being Unit

The Mental Health and Well-being Unit provides policy and technical guidance and expertise to countries across the WHO European Region to promote mental health and well-being, prevent mental ill health and strengthen accessible, equitable and people-centred mental health systems and services by recommending approaches grounded in health equity, human rights and the meaningful participation of people with lived and living experience.

Through its work, the Unit supports countries to:

• develop and strengthen mental health policies and services;
• generate and apply research and evidence;
• develop guidelines, tools and standards;
• build capacity among health and care systems and workforces;
• strengthen advocacy, partnerships and meaningful engagement of people with lived and living experience;
• improve the quality and accessibility of mental health care, including through community-based, integrated and recovery-oriented approaches;
• strengthen child and youth mental health services;
• address stigma and discrimination;
• respond to mental health and psychosocial needs in emergencies and crises; and
• address emerging determinants of mental health, including those arising from the digital environment.

The Unit is also contributing to the emerging demands from Member States in the area of brain health, supporting a life-course approach to brain health and exploring opportunities to catalyse implementation of the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders 2022–2031 across countries.