Research · World Health Organization
The World Health Organization and “parental alienation”
The WHO maintains the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), used worldwide to classify health conditions.
What the source says
- In 2020 the WHO removed the index term “parental alienation” from ICD-11.
- The WHO described it as “not a health care term.”
Our view
Mothers and fathers both report abuse. Whichever parent you are, reporting abuse should never be turned against you, and no parent should be labeled “alienating” for trying to protect a child.
Source
World Health Organization, statement on inclusion of “parental alienation” in ICD-11 (September 2019), and subsequent removal of the index term (February 2020).
More research
- Custody outcomes study
- UN report on custody and violence
- Custody evaluators’ beliefs
- Children exposed to domestic violence
- Domestic violence and child trauma
- Child abuse statistics
- Children killed during custody disputes
- Kayden’s Law
- New York custody bills
This page summarizes published sources. It is not legal, medical or therapeutic advice.