October 10th: What You Need to Know About World Mental Health Day
October 10th: What You Need to Know About World Mental Health Day
Over the last century, scientists, philosophers, and doctors have dedicated an enormous amount of time to the study of mental health. Although the concept of mental health may not have existed just a few hundred years ago, it is now at the forefront of medical attention.
Mental health has become an unavoidable concern in a world ravaged by an ongoing pandemic, wars, and record inflation. While mental health can be a concern for anyone, teens and adolescents are the most at risk nowadays. Anxiety and depressive symptoms are believed to be rising in teens, with many developing mental health disorders at an early age.
Recognizing this, the 10th of October is observed as World Mental Health Day all around the world. Let’s take a look at just what that means:
What Does the World Mental Health Day Represent?
The 10th of October was chosen as the date of the very first World Mental Health Day in 1992. The World Federation for Mental Health took the initiative amid growing mental health concerns globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) immediately supported the day, which organizes various activities in conjunction with the World Federation for Mental Health on the 10th of October each year.
For the first three years, the day had no central theme. Nowadays, each year has its specific theme that is represented through the various seminars and activities carried out by the WHO and WFMH all around the world.
WFMH currently has representatives in over 150 countries globally, and World Mental Health Day is observed all around the world. Furthermore, in some countries, the day holds extra significance as a part of a lengthier focus on mental health. In Australia, the 10th of October is a part of the annual Mental Health Week.
The World Mental Health Day 2022
The theme for the 10th of October this year reads: make mental health and well-being for all a global priority. Last year, the theme was Mental Health in an Unequal World, primarily due to the sizeable damage caused by Covid to the balance between the more affluent and poorer states of the world.
World Mental Health Day this year focuses on ensuring that people around the globe are well aware of just how important mental health is.
However, they also have to realize that offering and seeking help is the best way to counter waning mental health.
In many countries, stigma surrounds mental illness, with people refusing to talk about the topic. They also refuse to seek help for their problems lest they be ostracized by society. That is precisely what 2022’s World Mental Health Day aims to address.
No matter where you are or what you do, your mental health and well-being are the top priority. That’s what the WHO and WFMH want the world to know.