Understanding World Mental Health Day: A Call to Action for Global Mental Well-Being
GloNeuro [Global Neuroscience Organisation]
Inspiring Brains to Understand Brain
?
Mental health is an essential component of general health and wellbeing, but it has remained one of the most misconceived and underestimated areas in the field of healthcare. Every year on October 10th, World Mental Health Day provides a platform to take action on global mental health issues, reduce stigma, and ensure quality mental health and well-being for all. This day was instituted by the World Federation for Mental Health in 1992 and meant to encourage open conversations about mental health, with the importance of early intervention and access to care, and global mental health advocacy.
In the recent past, mental health disorders have really surged. Anxiety and depression are still some of the most prevalent disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic has only served to further amplify these issues, bringing into sharp focus the pressing need for systems of comprehensive mental health care that meet the needs of all people everywhere. Herein, we attempt to explore the importance of World Mental Health Day, challenges to mental health care, and what is being done to support mental well-being.
?
The Importance of Mental Health
Mental health can best be described as the emotional, psychological, and social well-being and involves an individual’s way of thinking, feeling, and how they behave. It further involves leading one’s life, making decisions, forging relationships, and being productive in society. The World Health Organization defines mental health as a state of well-being in which people realize their abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and are able to make a contribution to their community. A healthy mind is resilient, capable of problem solving, and has the ability to manage emotions well. Poor mental health can further lead to disorders like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and many more. Also, in most cases, mental health conditions intensify physical conditions that include heart diseases and diabetes, therefore creating a vicious circle that worsens general health status.
?
Mental Health: A Global Challenge
Despite the importance of mental health, access to quality mental health care is a challenge across the world. An estimated 1 billion people live with a mental disorder, and nearly 75% of those in low- and middle-income countries receive no treatment. Most often, the stigma associated with mental health prevents their seeking any help because of which they have to suffer for a longer period of time, and in extreme cases, they commit suicide. The economic burden of mental health disorders is enormous. A study by Bloom et al. in 2011 measures the World Economic Forum's estimation that by the year 2030, mental health problems will cost the global economy $16 trillion. These are costs related to lost productivity, absenteeism, and rising health care expenses. Yet, despite the mammoth economic and social outlays, mental health care remains relatively underfunded, only commanding a fraction of national health budgets.
?
The Role of World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day gives a good opportunity to make these challenges public and advocate for change. Every year, on this day, there is a main theme; recently, in 2021, it was “Mental Health in an Unequal World,” and this year, 2022, it has gone to “Make Mental Health and Well-being for All a Global Priority.” These two themes have clearly presented the key equity in mental health care, especially for refugees, minorities, and those living in poverty. Another major aim of World Mental Health day is to remove the stigma that is associated with mental health. Stigma causes discrimination, leading to social exclusion and delays in treatment that stand in the way of recovery. By encouraging talk, open education, and awareness, World Mental Day aims to bring an understanding and empathy such that people can come forward to get help without the fear of being judgmental.
?
Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, thus, brought a strong strike towards world mental health. Sudden shift to remote work, social isolation, fear of illness, and economic uncertainty have further increased anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders. In the year 2020 alone, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25%. Especially, health workers went through colossal mental stress. In one of the survey studies during the pandemic, it was established that 23 percent out of health care workers presented with depression, 22 percent presented with anxiety, and 39% presented with insomnia, as shown by Pappa et al. in 2020. The findings give an indication that enough mental health support has to be guaranteed among the front liners who usually fall prey to burnout and other mental health disorders.
The pandemic also put a bright light on the inequity of access to mental health care. With hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, mental health services have often been disrupted or deprioritized. Telemedicine was an important tool that emerged to provide remote mental health, but access to technology in much of the world is severely limited. Due to these findings, this has left vulnerable populations disproportionately affected, and mental health services became even more inaccessible for those who needed them. The Stigma of Mental Health Despite growing awareness, stigma constitutes one of the biggest barriers to treatment. Many cultures view mental health problems as a personal failing or character flaw, and shame and social isolation often keep people from reaching out for help. Consequently, this drives away individuals from getting much-needed help and aggravates the problems of mental health.
领英推荐
The WHO has a good will worldwide survey that indicates over 70% of those who have a form of mental illness do not go for treatment because of the attendant stigma and discrimination. Sometimes, there is social exclusion or even legal persecution, especially in those countries that have punitive laws on mental health. Overcoming stigma requires a multi-faceted response involving public education, advocacy, and policy changes. Schools, workplaces, and communities are critical for this culture of acceptance regarding mental health. The more we normalize the conversation of mental health, the more we build an environment where seeking help and accessing care is no issue whatsoever.
?
Increasing Awareness and Education About Mental Health
Raising awareness about mental health is a key strategy toward both reducing stigma and improving access to care. Public health campaigns such as those underly event sponsorship, for instance, during the course of World Mental Health Day, raise general awareness about the signs and symptoms of a mental health disorder, the importance of early intervention, and the availability of treatment options. Education in mental health is best provided early in life. Schools can provide ideal environmental settings for nurturing emotional well-being and teaching children and adolescents various ways of coping with life. Mental health literacy programs can provide students with knowledge on handling stress and building resilience, identify signs and symptoms to seek help, and indicate when and where help is needed. Schools can also provide ancillary services for mental health support, like ounselling, to catch the problems at an earlier stage. However, workplaces also have the capacity to contribute positively to mental health. Employees spend a significant portion of their lives at work, and workplace stressors are a key determinant in the development of mental health problems. Employers can promote mental well-being through life-work balance policies, mental health care resources, and a nonstigmatizing work environment.
?
Access to Mental Health Care: A Global Imperative
Access to mental health care is a human right, yet millions are being denied this human right due to financial, geographical, and social barriers. WHO called for full access to mental health care in its Mental Health Action Plan of 2013-2020, yet there are still significant discrepancies. In poor and middle-income nations, mental health services are frightfully scarce. According to the 2019 report by the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development, over 80% of the people in low-income countries with mental health disorders do not receive treatment. The usual reasons are that these countries lack enough personnel trained in mental health services, psychiatric facilities, and medicine to undertake treatment for the ailment. To this end, global mental health initiatives work toward scaling up the availability of services across wide regions. Tasks-shifting is where non-specialist health workers are trained to provide basic mental health services; it has shown promise in extending access in low-resource settings (Singla et al., 2017). Similarly, technologies for mobile health-across a broad continuum, from mental health apps to teletherapy platforms-present opportunities for the delivery of care to reach remote and underserved populations.
?
Role of Policy and Advocacy in Mental Health
Policy plays a significant role in the maintenance and development of mental health care systems and ensures access to treatment. Protecting mental health has to be taken seriously up the national health agenda, be funded adequately, and policies be initiated which will safeguard the rights of the persons with the mental disorders. One of the important indicators of sustainability relates to mental health. The United Nations have well-defined SDGs, where, most specifically, Goal 3 relates to ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being at all levels. Target 3.4 is aimed at ensuring a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 2030, including mental health disorders (UN, 2015). In this light, achieving this target requires the concerted efforts of governments, international agencies, and civil society to improve the systems of mental health care and reduce the overall burden as a result of mental health disorders. Advocacy is essential for policy change and raising public awareness. There are many organizations, such as the World Federation for Mental Health, Mental Health Europe, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which strengthen voices that should be heard and push for mental health reform. They call for better mental health care, which can help in making society much more inclusive and supportive of everyone’s needs.
?
The Future of Mental Health Care
Technology, research, and policy changes continue to shape the future of mental health care. Newer fields, including digital mental health, neuroimaging, and personalized psychiatry, provide novel means of conceptualizing diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Digital mental health tools, from mobile applications to virtual reality therapy and telepsychiatry, are revolutionizing how care is delivered. Such tools offer convenient, cost-effective, and accessible means for individuals to access support for mental health symptoms. However, the rapid growth of digital mental health has increased concerns about data privacy, quality of care, and equity in populations with limited access to technology.
Basic neuroscience and genetic research improves understanding of the biological underpinnings of mental health disorders. Such knowledge opens up the possibilities for personalized mental health, where treatments will be selected based on one's individual genetic profile, architecture of the brain, and specific environmental exposures. World Mental Health Day is strong and poignant because mental health encompasses one of the most important personal attributes, for which yet a lot more could be wished in terms of attention and activity. Through awareness creation, combating stigma, and advocating for equal access to care, we can make giant strides in improving the world's mental health. As we learn more and more about the complexities of mental health, now is a time to make certain that everyone-regardless of background or geography-has an opportunity to live a mentally healthy life. Mental health is never in isolation, but a road people travel to in years of life: the personal level, the community, the point of care, and governance. Together, on this World Mental Health Day, let us pledge to foster an understanding, compassion, and support of those afflicted by mental health ailments and strived toward a future in which mental health provides accessible, affordable, and stigma-free care.
References: