The community, in the words of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is where "the free and full development of [a person's] personality is possible." Also, everyone "has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits."
These almost eight-decades-old human rights provisions are most relevant in discussing mental health issues at present.
Deinstitutionalized treatment and rehabilitation of people with mental health conditions (and bringing them back to their family and community where they can heal) is the current idea.
But is the community ready to assume the task of caring for people with mental health conditions?
Stigma, prejudice and discrimination against people with mental health conditions constitute serious barriers that exist in the family and the community. Thus a major task is finding ways and means of making the family and the community see the need to eliminate stigma, prejudice and discrimination against people with mental health conditions.
Accessible mental health care services and systems within the community and beyond are needed to help those suffering from mental health conditions. But making them available at the community level is not a simple task. Nevertheless, it can start with people in the community and the local government reaching out to those who suffer from mental health conditions. It also requires reaching out to the community members as a whole to advocate the idea that addressing mental health conditions is a crucial task that needs the support of everyone.