World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day is the annual global celebration of mental health education, awareness and advocacy. Mental health can affect all of us in ways such as depression, anxiety or grief. It is an opportunity to talk about the prevalence of mental health problems in our society and what needs to be done to improve support for people who experience mental health problems.

Who celebrates?

Everyone – it’s a global awareness day!

How do people celebrate?

• People and organisations share stories of experiences of mental health, aiming to reduce the stigma of talking about mental health problems
• It is also an opportunity to share the resources available to support people with mental health problems
• Each year there is a different theme – 2023’s theme is ‘Protecting Health from Climate Change’

What should I know?

• One in four of us have mental health problems in England every year
• The most common mental health problem in England is mixed anxiety and depression (7.8% of people meet the diagnosis criteria)
• Women are more likely to report mental health problems but men are more at risk of suicide.

How can I support others?

• Ensure you’re taking care of your own mental health first
• Use our additional resources to education yourself on mental health
• Take the opportunity to make sure your colleagues and services users know the resources available to support them
• Be open about times your own mental health has suffered to help reduce the stigma in talking about mental health
• Recognise when someone may need professional support.

Mind’s mental health facts: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/#:~:text=1%20in%204%20people%20will,week%20in%20England%20%5B2%5D.

Mental Health Foundation resources: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health