The Mental Health Act 2021 in Nigeria marks a pivotal development in the country’s efforts to address the complex challenges surrounding mental health care. This article provided a comprehensive appraisal of the Act, focusing on the rights, challenges and prospectof persons with mental health. Using the doctrinal approach, it offers valuable insights into the current state of mental health phenomena in Nigeria. Our findings showed that there are crucial provisions of the Act that safeguard the rights of persons with mental illness and enhanced their access to mental health services. These provisions of the Act aligned with international standards. The Act faces challenges in the effective implementation, inadequate funding, shortage of trained mental health professionals, infrastructural deficiencies, stigma, and cultural barriers to seeking help. Inespite of these challenges, the Act presents promising prospects for improving mental health care in Nigeria. It provides a legal framework for protecting the rights of individuals with mental illness, promoting community-based care, and integrating mental health services into the broader healthcare system. The research recommendations include increasing funding for mental health services, strengthening the mental health workforce, enhancing infrastructure, combating stigma, fostering multi-sectoral collaboration, and conducting ongoing evaluation and research amongst others.
KEYWORDS: MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL ILLNESS, RIGHTS, HEALTHCARE, MENTALHEALTH GOVERNANCE
