The dynamics of mental health policy in Iran over the last century

Mental disorders represent a significant global health concern, accounting for a substantial proportion of disabilities worldwide. Given its significance, it has consistently been a priority for health policy makers. The aim was to provide a comprehensive assessment of mental disorder-related policy events and related interventions in Iran.

A content analysis of the literature and published and unpublished official documents and local media as well as a comprehensive network analysis of the text taken from the main databases of laws and regulations and the official websites of ministries and institutions related to mental health in Iran from 1907 to 2024 were carried out. A co-occurrence network analysis and degree centrality measures were performed on the collected corpus.

A total of 196 documents were identified. Following the removal of duplicate documents and content irrelevant to the topic of mental disorders, 131 documents were extracted. A substantial number of documents pertained to the years 1930-1978, which were concerned primarily with the admission and dispatch of patients to the mental health clinic and psychiatric hospitals and the financial aspects of the care and treatment of patients with mental disorders by the trustee organizations. Following the 1979 revolution, the focus shifted to the expansion of social and insurance support for these patients and their families.

The advancements related to severe mental disorders in Iran highlight the critical importance of public interventions in this field. Nevertheless, over the past century, no discernible pattern or coherence has been identified in this area between responsible agencies and ministries. Future policies related to mental disorders should be based on the principles of increasing community-based care, sustainable financing and economic and social support for mental disorders.