World Mental Health Day is marked annually on 10th October and is all about raising awareness of our mental health and wellbeing.
The theme for this year is, “Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority”, which has been set by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) after a global vote by the public.
Professor Gabriel Ivbijaro MBE, JP, World Federation for Mental Health Secretary General, said of this year’s theme: “The 2022 World Mental Health Day theme ‘Make Mental Health & Wellbeing for All a Global Priority’ provides us with an opportunity to re-kindle our efforts to make the world a better place.”
The official WFMH global brief reminds us that collectively, our global mental health and wellbeing are being challenged. Across the world, we are continuing to be impacted by numerous factors, all of which are negatively impacting our mental and physical health.
Dévora Kestel, Director of the Mental Health and Substance Use Department at the World Health Organisation (WHO) commented: “Never has it been so urgent for the world to prioritise mental health and wellbeing. The triple impact of COVID-19, climate change concerns and ongoing wars and conflict is creating an enormous toll on our population — be they directly or indirectly impacted.”
According to the latest United Nations (UN) data, almost one billion individuals worldwide have a mental disorder in 2022.
In addition, data collected from the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that the prevalence of common conditions such as depression and anxiety rose by more than 25% in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As shown in the latest available global data (2019), unfortunately disparities between rich nations and less affluent nations are also present:
The data shows that unfortunately, across the world there is still a lot of work to be done to address inequalities between countries, and within countries, to improve mental health infrastructures and ensure everyone has access to help and support when they need it.
This is why World Mental Health Day is such a significant annual campaign, and it is reassuring to see national UK organisations voicing their support for the day.
Mind is getting involved in World Mental Health Day this year by utilising spoken word to tell the stories of individuals, with the message, “if this speaks to you, speak to us”.
In this video, Jords recounts Rohan’s story:
If you are struggling, you can access information, advice, crisis resources, a confidential Infoline, and emergency advice on Mind’s website.
The Mental Health Foundation is supporting World Mental Health Day, continuing its work to ensure mental health and wellbeing are treated the same as physical health. You can find out more about the work of the Mental Health Foundation, and download a range of posters and social media graphics to show your support, or listen to the most recent podcast episodes here.
As well as charity organisations getting involved in World Mental Health Day and showing their support, it is important that we as individuals also get behind the campaign to help spread awareness within our local communities and self-reflect on our own mental health and wellbeing.
WFMH has created three activities designed to help us get involved in this year’s theme, reflect on our feelings, and connect with ourselves.
Each of the activities centre around a different creative aspect – one is based on writing down our thoughts and feelings, one is based around arts and crafts, and one around movement and dance.
Find out more about each of the activities and get involved here.
Read more about how you can show your support for World Mental Health Day.
Every year, World Mental Health Day is marked across the globe to continue the conversation around mental health and wellbeing. In doing so, stigma is slowly being challenged, barriers are being broken, and understanding of mental health is increasing. It is important that we continue to strive for change and work to address inequalities that are present across the world, to ensure fair, accessible mental health treatment and support for all.
If you need support, remember to reach out to a friend, family member, or professional.
Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: [email protected] for a reply within 24 hours.
Text “SHOUT” to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text “YM” if you’re under 19.
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash.
