World Mental Health Day was created by the World Health Organization to promote awareness and understanding about mental health issues and mobilizing efforts in support of better mental health. World Mental Health day is on October 10th, and the theme this year is Mental health in the workplace.
October 10th is World Mental Health Day, a day designed to raise awareness about mental health issues!
Mental Health Day History
World Mental Health Day is always celebrated on October 10th, it was first created in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health and this year is the day's 21st anniversary! The idea behind the day is to inform and raise awareness about different mental conditions and sicknesses and to help people find support and understand more about mental health. In some countries it is part of a Mental Health Week. The day often has different societies and communities offering services, letting people know about treatment and support. The World Health Organization picks a mental health issue to focus on every year, in 2012 it was Depression, this year it's "Older Adults".
Raising awareness can let people know how to find help.
What is Mental Health
The WHO defines "mental health" as "state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community," so if someone has a mental health issue preventing them from this, they need to seek help and possibly treatment.
Many people with mental health issues never seek treatment
Did You Know...
- Mental illness affects people of all ages, communities, races and religions
- Depression affects 350 million people worldwide
- Only 10% of people with depression seek out help
- 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental health or neurological (brain) issue in their lives
- About half of mental disorders begin before people reach age 14
- War and major disasters increase the rate of depression in a country
- Schizophrenia often strikes people when they are between the ages of 16 and 30.
If you want to get involved with learning more about mental health, approach your teacher or school and see if you can learn more in your classroom. If you feel that you or someone you know may be suffering from depression or another form of mental illness, make sure you reach out to your parents and teachers for help.
Have Your Say
Will you be observing World Mental Health Day. Let us know in the comments section below.
