WHO Launches First-Ever Care Package Linking NTDs, Mental Health and Stigma

“NTDs take a far greater toll on mental and social well-being than is often recognised,” said Dr Daniel Ngamije Madandi, Director of WHO’s Department of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a landmark new publication that, for the first time, provides a practical, evidence-based package of care to address the mental health impacts of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and the stigma that often prevents affected individuals from seeking care and participating fully in society.

Titled The Essential Care Package to address mental health and stigma for persons with neglected tropical diseases, the guidance responds to mounting evidence that people living with NTDs experience significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, psychological distress and suicidal behaviour than the general population. These outcomes are driven not only by illness, but by stigma, discrimination and social exclusion.

Mental Health Central to NTD Elimination

With more than one billion people worldwide affected by NTDs, WHO warns that progress towards elimination will remain limited unless mental health and stigma are treated as core components of disease management, rather than optional add-ons.

“NTDs take a far greater toll on mental and social well-being than is often recognised,” said Dr Daniel Ngamije Madandi, Director of WHO’s Department of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases.“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.”

Clear Guidance for Integrated Care

The Essential Care Package (ECP) provides governments, programme managers and frontline services with clear, actionable guidance on integrating mental health support and stigma reduction into existing NTD programmes and health systems. It covers prevention, identification, assessment, management and follow-up, with defined roles across communities, health workers and system leaders.

The guidance emphasises that people affected by NTDs should be supported to recognise psychological distress, know where and how to seek help, access peer support, and understand their rights to healthcare, employment and social participation.

Families and communities are identified as critical actors in recognising distress early, encouraging help-seeking and challenging attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate stigma and exclusion.

From Policy to Practice

Professor Julian Eaton, Senior Lecturer in Global Mental Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, highlighted the practical value of the package.

“Integration does not work when it is treated as an extra checkbox for already stretched services,” he said.“This package sets out what good integration looks like in practice—from involving people with lived experience in service design, to routine screening, compassionate care, referral pathways and peer support that reduce isolation and self-stigma.”

He added that NTD programmes cannot succeed unless mental health and stigma are addressed as part of meeting overall health needs.

Focus on Frontline Health Workers

For frontline health workers, the ECP promotes routine, person-centred and compassionate care. It recommends embedding mental health assessment and support directly within NTD services, including basic psychoeducation, routine screening and clear referral pathways to peer support, physical healthcare and specialist mental health services.

Training is emphasised not only to strengthen clinical skills, but also to reduce stigmatising attitudes within health services and ensure mental health needs are properly recorded and addressed.

System-Level Change for Sustainable Impact

At the system level, the ECP calls for coordinated planning between NTD and mental health programmes, rather than parallel delivery. Recommended actions include strengthening community-based peer support, integrating mental health indicators into routine NTD data systems, and exploring collaborative care models such as embedding mental health specialists within NTD services.

Together, these measures aim to make integrated care feasible even in resource-constrained settings, improving wellbeing, strengthening treatment adherence and accelerating progress towards NTD elimination and universal health coverage.

Broad Global Collaboration

The Essential Care Package was developed by WHO in collaboration with a wide international partnership, including NGOs, academic institutions and organisations representing people affected by NTDs. Partners include the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the NTD NGO Network, CBM Global Disability Inclusion, The Leprosy Mission, Netherlands Leprosy Mission, The Carter Center, Lepra, Effect Hope, the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations and its Advisory Panel of Persons Affected by Leprosy, infoNTD, the Anesvad Foundation, and others.