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World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day was created by the World Health Organization to promote awareness and understanding about mental health issues. World Mental Health day is on October 10^th, and the theme this year is Depression: A Global Crisis.

World Mental Health Day is October 10th

Raising awareness can let people know how to find help.

Many people with mental health issues never seek treatment

Mental Health Day History

World Mental Health Day is always celebrated on October 10^th 2012, it was first created in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health and this year is the day's 20th anniversary! The idea behind the day is to inform and raise awareness about different mental conditions and sicknesses 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 it's Depression.

What is Mental Health

The WHO defines "mental health" as "state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community," so if someone has a mental health issue preventing them from this, they need to seek help and possibly treatment.

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
Schizophrenia often strikes people when they are between the ages of 16 and 30.

If you want to get involved with learning more about mental health, approach your teacher or school and see if you can learn more in your classroom. If you feel that you or someone you know may be suffering from depression or another form of mental illness, make sure you reach out to your parents and teachers for help.