
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 26th anniversary! The idea behind the day is to inform and raise awareness about different mental conditions 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; this year the focus is “Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World.”
Adolescence and the early years of adulthood are a time of life when many changes occur, for example changing schools, leaving home, and starting university or a new job. For many, these are exciting times. They can also be times of stress and apprehension, however. In some cases, if not recognized and managed, these feelings can lead to mental illness.
The expanding use of online technologies, while undoubtedly bringing many benefits, can also bring additional pressures, as connectivity to virtual networks at any time of the day and night grows. Many adolescents are also living in areas affected by humanitarian emergencies such as conflicts, natural disasters, and epidemics. Young people living in situations such as these are particularly vulnerable to mental distress and illness.
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
Be a hero on #WorldMentalHealthDay by doing one of the following: Upload a photo wearing a green ribbon, draw a ribbon on your face, hand, arm for a selfie and upload, or take a picture of something green for social media #NotAllHeroesWearCapes
https://twitter.com/WMHDay
References:
https://www.kidzworld.com/article/27416-world-mental-health-day
https://wfmh.global/
http://www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/2018/en/