The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new practical guide on 9 October 2026, entitled Supporting the Transition to Community-Based Mental Health and Social Care: Practical Guide to the Deinstitutionalization of Psychiatric Hospitals. The guide aims to support psychiatric hospital leaders and decision-makers in transitioning from long-term institutional care to comprehensive, community-based mental health and social care services.

Dr. Sahar Eshrati, a faculty member at Iran University of Medical Sciences, contributed to the development of the guide as an External Reviewer.

The guide outlines practical, evidence-informed actions across three phases—planning, preparation, and implementation—and focuses on reducing hospital admissions and lengths of stay, transforming care within hospitals, and strengthening supported discharge, continuity of care, and community participation.

Aligned with the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change,” the guide emphasizes the importance of involving people with lived experience in shaping mental health policies and services. It calls for a shift toward community-based care that promotes autonomy, recovery, human rights, and social inclusion, with people who have experienced institutional care actively involved in decisions that affect their lives.

Access the full guide:

https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/1da7fe75-7366-437c-b9a6-16d202e8ce52/content