Help if you are struggling with mental health

Everyone who lives in Norway has the right to essential health and care services. This means that you are also entitled to essential mental health care.

Your GP will assess what you need and can refer you to more specialised services. If you need immediate mental health care, call your local out-of-hours medical service.

You have the right to choose where you wish to undergo planned examination and treatment. If you have received a referral, you can look up waiting times for selected treatments and get help in finding a treatment centre here. 

The right to participate in decision-making is called user involvement. You have the right to receive satisfactory and adapted information about the health and care services you are offered so that you have a say in your treatment. You can always ask to be involved in decisions about the services available to you.  

You are entitled to an individual plan if you need long-term, coordinated health care and social services. The plan must only be made with your agreement. 

Even if you turn down the offer of an individual plan, you must still be offered a coordinator. When choosing a coordinator, your own wishes must be respected.

Read more about your rights to an individual plan and coordinator.  

You have the right to see what is in your medical records. You also have the right to have any difficult words and phrases explained to you. 

You also have the right to know who has had access to your medical records and who has received information from them.

If you have a mental disorder, both examination and treatment (in Norwegian) must in principle be voluntary. Involuntary hospitalisation or other forms of formal coercion are only permitted when absolutely necessary, and the law has strict requirements for when coercion can be used.

Click here to read more about the use of coercion (in Norwegian).

All next of kin have the right to general advice and information if they contact the health and care services. With the patient’s consent, you also have the right to access more personal information about their health condition and what is written in their medical records.

Click here to read more about your rights as next of kin.

You have the right to complain if you believe your rights as a patient have not been upheld, or if you believe you have not received the health or care services you are entitled to. Next of kin may also have the right to complain.

When you access public health services in Norway your expenses can be covered.

Read more about what expenses you can have covered and how much you have to pay in user fees.