World Mental Health Day is annually observed on October 10th to create awareness about the issues of mental health and educate the general public on the importance of Mental Health.
World Mental Health Day is a global initiative supported by the World Health Organisation(WHO), World Federation for Mental Health(WFMH) and its member organisations.
- The green ribbon is a symbol of mental health.
- The theme of World Mental Health Day 2021, as per WFMH, is “Mental Health in an Unequal World”.
Background:
i.The world Mental Health Day was first started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health by the then Deputy Secretary-General Richard Hunter.
ii.World Mental Health Day was observed for the first time on 10 October 1992.
WHO’s World Mental Health Day Campaign:
i.The slogan of the WHO’s World Mental Health Day Campaign is “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality”.
ii.As a part of the campaign, the WHO will showcase its endeavours to provide mental health care across various countries.
iii.WHO is set to launch its new Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan along with a
flyer to raise awareness of the Plan and encourage actions supporting its implementation.
Mental Health Awareness Week 5th to 10th October 2021:
i.The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW) has launched the Mental Health Awareness Week which started on 5th October and culminated on 10th October 2021(World Mental Health Day).
ii.As a part of the Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare released the UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children Report on 5th October 2021.
iii.A virtual awareness workshop has been organised by National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru in collaboration with Educational Institutions and other organisations.
Green Ribbon Campaign:
i.Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, launched the Green Ribbon initiative to create awareness on mental health as a part of the activities of Mental Health Week 2021.
ii.The initiative was launched during the event organised by the MoHFW in partnership with the Hansraj College, Delhi.
iii.The Union Minister distributed the green ribbon among the officials of the ministry and media personnel.
WHO’s Efforts:
i.In 2018 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO identified mental health as an area that needed accelerated action, and established the WHO’s Special initiative for Mental Health, covering a period of 5 years (2019 – 2023).
ii.The Initiative is to be implemented in 12 countries, of which 7 have been identified (Bangladesh, Jordan, Nepal, Paraguay, the Philippines, Ukraine and Zimbabwe).
Goal: 100 million more people have access to quality and affordable mental health care by 2023.
Key Points:
i.Around 20% of the world’s children and adolescents have a mental health condition, with suicide the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds.
ii.1 in 5 people in the post-conflict settings has a mental health condition.
iii.The most common mental health conditions, depression and anxiety.
iv.According to the WHO, India, China and the U.S. are the countries most affected by anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
About World Federation for Mental Health(WFMH):
President– Ingrid Daniels (South Africa)
Founded in 1948
Headquarters– Texas, United States of America
