THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for mental health to be made a central component of care for people living with neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), citing evidence that stigma, discrimination and social exclusion exacerbate the psychological burden of these illnesses.

In a new publication released yesterday, WHO unveiled an essential care package (ECP) for mental health and stigma in NTDs, offering the first practical, evidence-based guidance for integrating mental health support into existing NTD programmes.

The guidance addresses the mental health impacts of NTDs, including depression, anxiety, distress and suicidal behaviours, which occur at higher rates among affected populations than in the general public.

Prof. Julian Eaton, a senior lecturer in global mental health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine said in remarks attached to the WHO study that integration of mental health issues with other diseases does not work when it is treated as an extra checkbox for already stretched services.

“This package is invaluable because it sets out what good integration looks like in practice, from involving people with lived experience in service design, to routine screening and compassionate care, to referral pathways and peer support that reduce isolation and self-stigma. 

“If we want NTD programmes to succeed, we have to take stigma and mental health seriously as part of meeting overall needs, not as a separate issue,” he emphasized.

For frontline health workers, the ECP focuses on routine, compassionate, person-centred care, recommending that mental health assessment and support are embedded within NTD services. This includes basic psych education, screening and clear referral pathways to peer support, physical health care and specialist mental health services, while training is emphasized to build clinical skills and reduce stigmatising attitudes within services, “ensuring that comorbid mental health needs are recorded.” 

At a system level, the ECP stresses that integration requires coordinated planning between NTD and mental health programmes rather than parallel delivery. This includes strengthening community-based supports such as peer groups, incorporating mental health indicators into routine NTD data collection and exploring collaborative care models such as embedding mental health care specialists within NTD services, the publication affirms. 

“Together, the measures are aimed at making integrated care feasible in resource-constrained settings, improving wellbeing, strengthening treatment adherence and supporting progress towards NTD elimination and universal health coverage,’ it explains. 

Dr Daniel Madandi, director of WHO Department of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Disease said that NTDs take a far greater toll on mental and social well-being than is often recognised.

“By integrating mental health and tackling stigma head-on, the essential care package equips countries to confront the full reality of NTDs and move closer to WHO’s vision of complete well-being,” he declared.

The ECP provides governments, health leaders and frontline services with clear guidance on prevention, identification, assessment, management and follow-up of mental health issues among people living with NTDs. 

It emphasises stigma reduction, peer support and ensuring affected individuals understand their rights to health care, employment and community participation. Families and communities are highlighted as critical actors in recognising distress early and supporting help-seeking behaviours, he added.