The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year. The idea of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues globally and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health generally.
The last few years has been difficult for all of us. Be it the pandemic, rising energy prices or the cost of everyday items. And this has challenged many peoples mental health through isolation, disrupted support services and networks and anxiety over their finances. Even in 2019 (before the pandemic) an estimated one in eight people globally were living with some form of mental health issue. Since then the situation has become worse with an estimated 25% rise in depression and anxiety. And this at a time when mental health services, where they exist at all, are being disrupted and coming under much greater pressure.
To make things worse, this comes at a time of growing social and economic inequalities, wars, political division and public health emergencies affecting whole populations. A staggering 89.3 million people worldwide had been forced from their homes by the end of 2021 in places such as Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar.
As a world and as the human race we must deepen the value and commitment we give to mental health and strengthen mental health care. We must continue to work to overcome the stigma and discrimination against those who are suffering. We should all play a part in increasing awareness about preventive mental health intervention work and the World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to do just that. We need to create a world in which mental health is valued, promoted and protected. A world where everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy mental health, to exercise their human rights and where everyone can access the mental health care they need when they need it.
The WHO is working with partners to launch a campaign with the theme of “Making Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority”. This is an opportunity for people with mental health conditions, advocates, governments, employers, employees and others to come together to recognise progress in this field and to be vocal about what we need to do to ensure that Mental Health and Well-Being becomes a Global Priority for all.
As Sanam Saeed (Pakistani actress, singer and former model) said, “We need to start identifying the triggers that aggravate mental health issues in our society – bullying, social media negativity and anxiety, gender based violence, substance abuse, stigma around issues such as maternal issues, etc., and we need to speak up about these more and get to the source of the problems”.
As a Hypnotherapist I often come into contact with people who are suffering from issues with their mental health, be it anxiety, depression, low self-esteem of other health issues. These are becoming increasingly common and being aware of our own mental health and those around us is key. If you think that hypnotherapy could help you or someone you know then get in touch.