World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year since the year 1992 in order to spread awareness about mental health issues and conquer the stigma related to the same. When it was first celebrated in the year 1992, it was initiated by the World Federation for Mental Health which is a global organization that has over 150 countries as its members.

The day is celebrated with several events across the world through various events advocating awareness regarding mental illness and the way it affects the people and their daily life who are suffering from it across the world. In 2021 the theme for the day was “Mental Health in an Unequal World”.

Need To Observe ‘World Mental Health Day’

Although there are treatments available for people suffering from mental illness, medical science has reached a level where it has developed ways to treat the patients, it is still a stigmatized issue and a topic that requires attention from societies as well as the governments across the world.

The first celebration for ‘World Mental Health Day’ took place in the year 1992, the event got its first theme-based celebration in the year 1994 when the theme for the day was, “Improving the Quality of Mental Health Services throughout the World”.

The idea of celebrating the day came from Richard Hunter, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Federation for Mental Health at that point. As mentioned, the day had no specific theme than promoting awareness around the mental issues and disorders in order to make recoveries easy for the patients who struggle with the illness as well as the people around (society).

Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) which is a part of the United Nations (UN) supports the event every year by working with the governments (Ministries) and several national and internal organizations throughout the world.

One of the significant impacts of World Mental Health Day was seen in the United Kingdom (UK) in the year 2018 after then-sitting Prime Minister Theresa May announced the appointment of Jackie Doyle-Price as the UK’s first suicide prevention minister during the first global mental health summit that was in the UK.

Significance of Promoting Awareness Regarding Mental Health Issues

If get into statistics, data from the National Institute of Mental Health Disorders which is a part of the National Institutes of Health mentions that as per the estimation of 26 percent of people, among people of the United States who are either 18 or older, 1 in 4 of them are suffering from mental disorders that are diagnosable. The number expectedly seems to be increased by 9.5 percent, for the people who are 18 years old or above may suffer from the depressive illness each year. The illnesses include major depression, bipolar disorder, or dysthymia.

Around 1 billion around the world are suffering from mental health issues. As per the reports and surveys, depression has become a leading mental disorder maximum people suffer from. The tendency of having depression is mostly seen in youths and adults.

A different group of people including health workers, students, and isolated people are dealing with their depriving mental health conditions. And, the pandemic has also equally contributed to disturbing the mental peace and stability of people.

Hence, to spread awareness and education among people related to mental health and peace of mind the day is observed all around the world.