Today is World Mental Health Day.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises World Mental Health Day on October 10 every year.
This year’s theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is ‘Mental Health for all‘.
Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said countries must act together, now, to make quality mental health care available for all who need it, so that citizens are allowed to recover faster from the COVID-19 crisis.
See the Secretary-General’s message below:
“Around the world, nearly 1 billion people live with a mental disorder.”
“Every 40 seconds, someone dies from suicide.”
“And depression is now recognized as a leading cause of illness and disability among children and adolescents.”
“All of this was true, even before COVID-19. We are now seeing the consequences
of the pandemic on people’s mental well-being, and this is just the beginning.”
“Many groups, including older adults, women, children and people with existing
mental health conditions are at risk of considerable medium- and long-term ill-health if action is not taken.”
“Addressing mental health is central to achieving Universal Health Coverage. It deserves our commitment.”
“Too few people have access to quality mental health services.”
“In low- and middle-income countries, more than 75 percent of people with mental health conditions receive no treatment at all. And, overall, governments spend on average less than 2 percent of their health budgets on mental health. This cannot go on.”
“We can no longer ignore the need for a massive scale-up in investment in mental
health.”
“We must act together, now, to make quality mental health care available for all who need it to allow us to recover faster from the COVID-19 crisis.”
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