By Susmita Shah
Kathmandu— To mark on World Mental Health Day for 2020, education and awareness raising campaign kicks off on 1 Sept, 2020.
In the beginning, the president of World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH) will be launching “Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access” under the Royal Patronage of Princess Iman Afzan Al-Sultan Abdullah of Malaysia.
It includes 45 days of awareness-raising activities led by the Federation’s youth section, including a global online discussion forum and art exhibition, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
“It will be a great opportunity for unification and raising voice to address the historical negligence towards mental health” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO. “This problem would not be addressed until we all make a wholehearted commitment toward this issue” was also mentioned by him.
In addition, WHO along with WFMH and United for Global Mental Health have agreed to carry out a campaign as a tribute to World Mental Health Day on 10 Oct, 2020. “It will be the first time WFMH is going to launch World Mental health day in the last 30 years” said Dr. Ingrid Daniels, President of the WFMH.
The campaign is expected to provide opportunities to people for doing something life-affirming for themselves, for their family and friends, for their employees, for their citizens and for their followers as an individual, an employer, a government and a journalist respectively was stated by the WFMH and WHO.
According to WHO, the catalyst behind this action is that the countries all over the world spend only 2% of their health budget on mental health which have resulted lack of quality mental health services among the people all over the world.
“Due to the increment in the number of mentally ill people deprived of apropos and qualitative mental health services, mass-scale investment in mental health sector is a necessity in the present context” said Elisha London, Founder and CEO of United for Global Mental Health—referencing the consequences of Covid-19 on mental health.
The campaign is the summation of three major online events in virtual platform.
First Event on 1st September, 2020: Awareness raising and education program by WFMH
Second Event on 9th October, 2020: 24-hours virtual march for mental health by United for Global Mental Health.
A 24-hours livestream has been planned for this day featuring leaders, influencers and people with lived experience from different civil society groups from about 19 different countries like USA, India, China, Argentina, UK, Nepal, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, South African countries, etc. The global partners of this program include Human Rights Watch and Alzheimer’s disease International who will be carrying out hour-long sessions on specific themes.
Third Event by WHO: The Big Event for Mental health
On this day a Global online advocacy event on mental health has been planned to be hosted by WHO. WHO has also planned to host a talk program with world leaders and mental health experts, along with the WHO Director-General.
The Covid-19 pandemic which has created havoc in the physical realm since the beginning of the year 2020 has ended up increasing the mental health issues in the entire world.
The major causes of these mental health issues are unemployment, social distancing, loss of loved ones, etc. which arose due the Covid-19 catastrophe.
All of these things is burgeoning the intensity of mental stress, anxiety, depression, etc. among the people all over the world.
Approximately about 1 billion people are suffering from mental health illnesses from which about 3 million people die from the excessive consumption of alcohol and an individual commits suicide in every 40 seconds in this world stated by WHO newsletter published on August 27, 2020.
The governments of most of the developed and least developed countries are fixated only on the management and control of the dreadful situation created by Covid-19. The consequences of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health of individuals have been completely overlooked and no any major steps are being taken in order to cope with the rising problems of mental health.
Because of which the WFMH is deeply concerned and a bit worried about this trying condition which can be substantiated by the newsletter of WFMH published on June 1, 2020.
WFMH has raised its voice on the topic of importance of mass-scale investment in mental health and has presented an appeal to stop avoiding the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health to the governments of the countries worldwide.
