World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10 every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness about mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.
It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. This day, each October, thousands of supporters come to celebrate this annual awareness program to bring attention about mental illness and its major effects on peoples’ life worldwide. In some countries this day is part of an awareness week, such as Mental Health Week in Australia.
The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.
The theme for the year 2016 is World Mental Health Day, observed on October 10, was “psychological first aid”. It focuses on basic pragmatic psychological support by people who find themselves in a helping role whether they be health staff, teachers, firemen, community workers, or police officers.
Mental health disorder is one of the common disorders across the globe. According to World Health Organization, there are approximately 450 million people who suffer from mental disorders. In India, around 1.5 million people are affected from severe mental health problems, including children and adolescents.
Mental illness affects the way a person feels, thinks or acts. This leads to disruption in attentiveness, mood, and concentration, ability to organize and communicate; eventually a person becomes victim of abnormal behavior, struggling to cope with daily life, thereby making it a serious health concern. Therefore, the Government of India had started the National Mental Health Program (NMHP) in 1982, considering the heavy burden of mental illness in the country.