QualityRights: training that transforms attitudes
The World Health Organization's (WHO) QualityRights e -training significantly improves attitudes toward people with mental health problems and psychosocial, intellectual, and cognitive disabilities, reducing stigma and increasing alignment with human rights-based approaches. This is the main conclusion of the study "Breaking stigma, discrimination and promoting rights: global evaluation of the WHO QualityRights e-training on mental health, recovery and community inclusion ," the first to analyze the global effectiveness of the training program launched by the WHO in 2019. The study analyzed the responses of a sample of more than 3,000 people, 73.6% of whom were from Europe, before and after receiving the quality, rights-based online training. The participants were predominantly women, with an average age of 42 (72.3%). 46% were healthcare professionals, and 25.2% were mental health professionals.
Instruments to assess the impact of QualityRights on professional attitudes and practices
The study results show that the impact on the attitudes of those trained is greater in low-income (29.18%) and middle-income countries, while in high-income countries the improvement is 20.58%, possibly due to greater receptiveness to the content and less prior access to human rights training. This impact is effective for both general professionals and mental health professionals.
It is detected that the areas where improvement occurs , and therefore a transformation takes place, are:
- The recovery-focused approach.
- The rejection of coercive practices.
- The recognition of people with disabilities as rights holders and full members of society.
The QualityRights online training is available in 13 different languages and covers issues such as stigma, discrimination, abuse, and coercion in mental health services and the community; ensuring respect for legal capacity; taking action to support the transformation of mental health services toward a person-centered, rights-based approach to recovery; caring for one's own mental health; and supporting friends, family, and colleagues with their mental health. This basic training, designed for a general audience, was created by a diverse range of mental health stakeholders: policymakers involved in the delivery of mental health services, health and mental health service providers, and individuals who have received or are receiving mental health support. According to the study, more than 77,000 people had already enrolled in this online training as of December 2024.
A call to transform mental health systems
While a change in attitude is essential, the WHO continues to actively call for the transformation of mental health systems through policies, services, and practices that reflect human rights principles. To this end, it emphasizes the need to include more social groups, not just healthcare professionals, complementing this with in-person training and policy strategies to consolidate the change.
Just a few months ago, the WHO launched the Guidance on Mental Health Policy and Strategic Action Plans , a reference document that provides countries with a comprehensive roadmap for mental health policy reform. This aligns with the growing consensus on the importance of adopting rights-based, person-centered, and recovery-oriented approaches that prioritize autonomy and dignity, while also involving people with lived experience in planning and decision-making.
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