European Disability Forum

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Mental health

The right to health, protected by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, obliges the EU and Member States to promote and protect the mental health of persons with disabilities, including persons with psychosocial disabilities, without discrimination.

Mental health and disability

Persons with disabilities, face many social conditions that can affect their mental health, including:

  • Lack of adequate support to live independently and in community according to one’s own will and desires
  • Precarious employment – Persons with disabilities in the EU are 24.4 percentage points less likely to be employed than persons without disabilities. The situation is even worse for women with disabilities with an average of only 48.3% in employment. Among the most affected are persons with psychosocial disabilities and persons with intellectual disabilities
  • Poverty and homelessness – Related to precarious employment and lack of support, the latest EU-level figures from Eurostat suggest that 28.4% of all persons with disabilities in the EU live in poverty.
  • Discrimination and violence – Discrimination of persons with disabilities remains a daily reality in Europe, ranging from more visible forms (such as segregated education and denial of employment opportunities) to more subtle forms (such as the imposition of physical, psychological and social barriers), resulting in social exclusion of persons with disabilities.
  • Exclusion from social and political life

These conditions, or social determinants, contribute to poorer mental health for persons with disabilities, as well as increased diagnosis of mental health conditions compared to persons without disabilities.

Exacerbating these issues, there are significant barriers to accessing mental health services and support for persons with disabilities including inaccessibility, costs, stigma and discrimination.

Moreover, persons with psychosocial disabilities and those experiencing mental health crisis still see their human rights violated through involuntary placement and treatment, and through substituted decision-making schemes.

Therefore, EDF advocates for…

  • Availability, accessibility, and variety of mental health services
  • Prevention and prohibition of forced placement and treatment in mental healthcare settings
  • Training of mental health professionals on disability rights and person-centred and rights-based approaches
  • Awareness-raising to ensure that adults, children and adolescents with disabilities are sensitised about mental health, in various settings
  • Active consultation and inclusion of organisations of persons with disabilities, users and ex-users of mental health services, and survivors of psychiatry in the development, implementation and monitoring of related policies and programmes

Areas of work

A comprehensive approach to mental health

As part of its work to build a European Health Union, the European Commission introduced a comprehensive approach to mental health to address the burgeoning mental health crisis. The initiative includes 20 flagship initiatives aimed at:

  • Implementing adequate and effective prevention efforts
  • Increasing access to quality mental health services
  • Fostering reintegration for those recovering from mental ill-health

EDF sent recommendations on the European Commission’s call for evidence on mental health, to ensure an inclusive approach.

Coercion in mental health care

The Oviedo Convention is the only international legally binding instrument on the protection of human rights in the biomedical field. In 2014, the Council of Europe and the Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO) began work on legislation to regulate involuntary treatment and placement in psychiatry, known as the draft additional protocol to the Oviedo Convention.

EDF is campaigning with several partner organisations to withdraw the proposed legislation on involuntary treatment and placement in psychiatry, citing a list of various issues created in light of the CRPD. EDF has also called on States to reform their legislation and adopt binding recommendations on autonomy and voluntary measures.

Join our joint campaign to #WithdrawOviedo.

Leading Actors and Partners

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a leading actor in the field of mental health and disability, producing reports, issuing guidance to Member States, and supporting in the implementation and scaling of right-based mental health services.

The Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA74.8 (2021) on the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities, to promote disability inclusion in healthcare, focusing on three main areas:

  • access to quality health services
  • protection during health emergencies
  • comprehensive public health measures

The resolution necessitated a global report on health standards for persons with disabilities, leading to the WHO’s global report on health equity for persons with disabilities. This report analyses factors contributing to health disparities for persons with disabilities and suggests policy actions to reduce them, calling on Member States and other stakeholders to implement its recommendations to achieve the highest health standards for persons with disabilities.

The WHO has also developed the QualityRights initiative which aims to improve the quality of mental health services, in line with the principles of the UN CRPD. The initiative offers a framework for countries to assess and improve their services, while providing training to providers and other stakeholders to foster rights-based and recovery-oriented mental health services.

EDF collaborates closely on mental health advocacy with:

Resources