WHO, advocates urge greater role for mental health patients in policy decisions
Coverage from Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa marks World Mental Health Day with calls to give people with lived experience a greater role in mental health policy, though outlets differ in whether they focus on institutional advocacy or on individual stories and systemic gaps.
What happened
Around World Mental Health Day 2026, the World Health Organisation called on governments and health systems to give people with mental health conditions a meaningful role in shaping policies and services affecting them, rather than simply listening to them.4
The Ghana Psychological Association similarly called for greater involvement of people with lived experience in shaping mental health policy and services, citing a nationwide survey that found 32.2 per cent of adults have concerns about access to psychological care.1
A South African outlet described global mental health advocacy as recognising the value of input from people with personal experience of mental illness in connecting gaps in healthcare systems.3
A Pakistani commentary piece reflected on this year's World Mental Health Day theme of centring lived experience, arguing it requires sustained commitment and an honest accounting of whose voices have been absent from mental health agendas, illustrating the point with an account linked to university sexual assault allegations.2
What's agreed
Reported consistently by outlets in more than one region.
- World Mental Health Day coverage this year centres on calls to give people with lived experience of mental health conditions a greater role in shaping mental health policies and services.1234
- Advocates, including a national psychological association and the WHO, are calling for mental health systems to move beyond merely listening to patients and instead give them meaningful involvement in decisions.14
How it's framed
What each perspective puts first, based on headlines and summaries.
| Perspective | How it reads | What it puts first |
|---|---|---|
| African professional and independent press focusing on institutional calls to actionAfrica | Outlets in Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa report on statements from professional bodies and global health authorities urging structural inclusion of lived experience in policy and service design.134 | professional association advocacy, WHO policy call, connecting healthcare systems |
| South Asian commentary focusing on individual testimony and systemic critiqueSouth Asia | A Pakistani outlet uses a reflective, critical essay format to question whose voices have historically shaped mental health agendas, illustrating this with an individual account tied to a university sexual assault allegation.2 | whose voices are absent, clinical practice reflections, individual testimony |
What the coverage leaves out
- None of the outlets reviewed detail specific policy changes or timelines resulting from these calls.
- None of the outlets reviewed report how governments or health ministries have responded to the WHO's call.
- None of the outlets reviewed provide further detail on the university sexual assault allegations mentioned in the Dawn piece or how they relate to broader mental health policy.
Why it matters
Sources (4)
Every outlet we drew on, grouped by where it is based. Read the originals for the full reporting.
Africa
- 1MyJoyOnlineGHPrivate
- 3Daily MaverickZAIndependent
WELLNESS: Lived experience can connect the healthcare dots when it gets a say
- 4VanguardNGPrivate
South Asia
- 2DawnPKPrivate