Yesterday, the 10th of October, was World Mental Health Day.

This is a day set aside by the World Health Organization (WHO) for one reason: to raise awareness about serious mental health issues. Mental health isn’t something we should sweep under the rug and we hope that this set of facts will help spread the right kind of awareness:

Mental Health Fact #1: The Most Common Mental Health Issues

Anxiety and depression are known to be the most common mental disorders we see today. They may occur separately, or in a combination with each other.

No one is immune to mental health issues like depression and anxiety. The key to dealing with them is first to recognise that there is a problem. Only when you accept this can you think about actually dealing with it.

Mental Health Fact #2: Student Suicides Are A Pressing Concern In India

NCRB (National Criminal Records Bureau) data shows some worrying stats, especially with regards to suicide.

A significant portion of suicides can be tied to reasons that don’t call for such extreme measures: this includes academic performance and unemployment. These can be avoided by spreading awareness at an early age, and by refraining from heaping pressure on teens and young adults.

Mental Health Fact #3: There Still Is A Taboo Around Discussing Mental Health

Too often, we see cases where children and adults alike hide their struggles with common mental health issues like depression and anxiety. This is because of the stigma around mental illness: we tend to assume that ‘mental health issues’ means that a person is unintelligent, difficult, or incapable of making decisions.

This only leads to rejection and unnecessary isolation.

Mental Health Fact #4: Suicides Are An International Issue

Over 8,00,000 people take their own lives each year. This, sadly, happens to be the primary reason of death for most people in the 15-29 age bracket. Alarming.

Even more alarming, though: for every adult that committed suicide, there have been 20 others who attempted it. Wherever you go in the world, suicide is a very real, very common problem. The key is in recognizing suicidal tendencies, and getting the victim treatment.

Mental Health Fact #5: Not Enough Skilled Healthcare For The Mentally Ill

There is a serious shortage of trained/qualified psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, psychologists, and counselors.

Mental healthcare around the world desperately needs an upgrade. Initiatives like World Mental Health Day are a great way to highlight the problem, and therefore speed up the development of solutions.

Agree? Share this post to spread awareness!

References:

http://www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/en/

http://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/every-hour-one-student-commits-suicide-in-india/story-7UFFhSs6h1HNgrNO60FZ2O.html