When is World Mental Health Day?
World Mental Health Day takes place on the 10th of October every year.
Source: World Health Organization
What is the history of World Mental Health Day?
World Mental Health Day is an initiative that was started by the World Federation for Mental Health, which is a global mental health-centric organisation that has members and contacts in more than 150 different countries.
The Deputy Secretary General of this organisation, Richard Hunter, first introduced this initiative on the 10th of October, 1992.
Up until 1994, the event was just designed to generally raise awareness about issues relating to mental health, and didn’t have a specific yearly theme.
However, Secretary General Eugene Brody suggested the introduction of different yearly themes that would allow the event to adapt to the times and focus on topical issues. The 1994 World Mental Health Day was therefore celebrated with a theme for the first time: ‘Improving the Quality of Mental Health Services throughout the World’.
Since then, themes have included ‘Mental Health and Human Rights’, ‘Emotional and Behavioural Disorders of Children & Adolescents’, and ‘Mental Health and Chronic Physical Illnesses’.
What’s the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day?
The 2022 theme of this event is ‘Mental health in an unequal world’. This year’s initiative will explore the ways that the Covid-19 pandemic has particularly damaged the mental health of people struggling with existing issues, such as long-term health conditions or racial discrimination.
This campaign seeks to raise awareness about populations who are at risk of poor mental health and unequal access to mental healthcare, and suggest ways to resolve these problems.
Source: twinkl
How can I recognise World Mental Health Day?
Though more people than ever are talking about their mental health, there is still a stigma in society attached to being open and honest about how you feel. This stops people from reaching out for help, as they may feel shame or embarrassment. To tackle this, recognise World Mental Health Day within your organisation.
See below our guide to honouring World Mental Health Day, separated by schools, businesses and communities:
Schools:
- Organise a guided workshop for the students to process and express their feelings.
- Raise money for mental health charities with a fundraising event.
- Hire a mental health speaker to share their story with the students.
Who are the top speakers for World Mental Health Day?
Mental health speakers are the perfect additions to World Mental Health Day events. Specialising in wellbeing, mental resilience and emotional intelligence, our speakers can adapt their presentations to best serve your organisation or event.
The top speakers for World Mental Health Day include:
- Daniel Lerner – Instructor of New York University’s ‘The Science of Happiness’ Course
- Hope Virgo – Founder of the Dump The Scales Campaign
- Emma-Jane Taylor – CEO of The Works Company & Author of ‘Don’t Hold Back’
- Silvia Garcia – Former Global Director of the Happiness Institute for Coca-Cola
- Frankie Bridge – Author of ‘OPEN: Why Asking for Help Can Save Your Life’ & MIND Ambassador
Source: mentalhealthspeakers
