Monday 10 October 2022

World Mental Health Day 2022 : Improving the Quality of Mental Health Services throughout the World

 

Observed each year on October 10, World Mental Health Day is a global day for mental health education, awareness as well as advocacy and was first celebrated in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health. It calls attention to mental well being - which remains largely disregarded in national policies and inaccessible to the masses. 
The day initially did not have any specific theme and was observed with an aim for advocacy and educating people. However, as the campaign gained popularity World Mental Health Day in 1994 was observed with the theme of “Improving the Quality of Mental Health Services throughout the World.” 
For over 70 years, the World Federation has been working to make sure that mental health is treated on a par with physical health.
Mental health problems, ranging from depression to loneliness, exist in our lives, families, workplaces and communities, impacting everyone.Mental health has been an issue in society for a long time and the lack of understanding and awareness about about it has played a part in this.It’s become obvious if anyone wasn’t already aware, that we do live in a very unequal world, whether that’s access to vaccines or conditions people are living in that have made them more vulnerable. The pandemic has found those inequalities and exacerbated them.
In relation to mental health, we know the effect of the pandemic has not just been physical, there’s been a clear impact on mental health, as people have struggled with the effects of grief, isolation and fear.
For this year’s theme, we are being encouraged to think about how we can do as much as possible to prevent mental ill-health – as individuals and as a society, from calling on national and local governments to prioritise reducing known risk factors to creating the conditions needed for people to thrive. 
Mental health and wellbeing is not a ‘trend’ or a ‘fad’ – it is so important and the resources made available by the Mental Health Foundation will help you understand how to incorporate and adopt better mental health care, just like you would with your physical health.
With expert backed tips and challenges to partake in, plenty of resources can be found on their site.
This day is a prompt for us to reignite our efforts to protect and improve our mental health. It is an opportunity to talk openly about how we are feeling and a reminder to reach out if you are struggling. 
Mental health is a human right, and a rights-based approach to mental disability means domesticating treaties such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Using the framework of this convention and others like it, it is possible to formulate an active plan of response to the multiple inequalities and discrimination that exist in relation to mental disability within our communities. While health care professionals arguably have a role to play as advocates for equality, non-discrimination, and justice, it is persons with mental disabilities themselves who have the right to exercise agency in their own lives and who, consequently, should be at the center of advocacy movements and the setting of the advocacy agenda..
Quality, accessible primary health care is the foundation for universal health coverage and is urgently required as the world grapples with the current health emergency. We therefore need to make mental health a reality for all – for everyone, everywhere.
Good mental health is not just about being free from a mental illness. It involves the ability to better handle everything life throws at you and fulfill one’s full potential. Mental illness is now recognised as one of the biggest causes of individual distress and misery in our societies and cities, comparable to poverty and unemployment.
At least one in eight of us is affected by mental health issues. For adolescents aged 10 to 19, this rises to one in seven; people with mental health conditions often die prematurely - as much as 20 years earlier than the average person - due to preventable physical conditions, WHO figures show. In some countries, they are also more likely to suffer human rights violations, discrimination and stigma.
To combat this global issue, the United Nations’ Good Health and Well-being Sustainable Development Goal calls for 80% of nations to integrate mental health into primary healthcare by 2030.
While the uneven distribution of mental health resources both within and between countries springs to mind there are many other inequalities that I hope will be thought about on this day. These include inequalities driven by race, sexuality, gender identity, socio-economic status, access to technology and people living in challenged humanitarian settings such as displaced people, refugees, and those living in conflict/post-conflict situations are at greater risk of mental health difficulties..Due to ongoing political and social conflicts, the number of international refugees has been increasing. Refugees are exposed to severe mental challenges and potentially subject to traumatic experiences so the risk of psychiatric disorders is increased.  
Older people and immigrant groups are both thought to be more likely to experience social isolation and loneliness which can cause worse mental wellbeing. Societal discrimination is likely to have an impact on mental health. Interventions that take into account the specific mental health risks that marginalised communities face, and are designed to meet the needs of these groups, are therefore needed.
Also due to Coronavirus we have all experienced isolation, and the move towards working from home means many of us still spend time alone. We might have had other health stresses or feel anxious about the current news and climate.
Climate change, war and the pandemic have all combined to create a global crisis for mental health. Disrupted health services, rising poverty,the rising cost of living crises and crony capitalism together have waged a war against global mental health.
The rich have time, resources and access to these resources to address their mental illnesses. As a result, they disproportionately affect the poorer populations. 
There are also  significant mental health related inequalities for the UK Black community as people from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds are four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act, and experience poorer treatment and recovery outcomes in comparison to other ethnic groups.
Nothing comes easy for historically-marginalised communities — not even healthcare. For instance, a study found that the Black community and other people of colour are far more likely to experience socioeconomic disparities such as exclusion from health, educational and economic resources.
“Stigma and discrimination continue to be a barrier to social inclusion and access to the right care; importantly, we can all play our part in increasing awareness about which preventive mental health interventions work and World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to do that collectively,” WHO noted.
An ill-informed and damaging attitude among some people exists around mental health that can make it difficult for some to seek help. It is estimated that only about a quarter of people with a mental health problem in the UK receive ongoing treatment, leaving the majority of people grappling with mental health issues on their own, seeking help or information, and dependent on the informal support of family, friends or colleagues.
We need to break the silence around mental health.  These are issues that all of us should have some basic exposure to.  The proportion of the population that will experience an episode of acute emotional distress is extremely high.  Those of us who have never been depressed probably know and love several people who have.It  should be no more shameful to say that one is suffering from mental illness , than to announce that one is asthmatic or has breast cancer.  Talking about these issues is part of the solution. 
Breaking the silence can be liberating. Mental health care should be part of what we demand when we think about solutions to the economic crisis, and we should keep  fighting for the best mental health care to be the  natural right of all designed to meet human needs. Until then, engaging in the struggle toward a fairer more equal society can be a source of hope. That is a world surely worth fighting for.
Mental health matters but what people suffering truly need at the end of day is well-funded good quality services that actually respond to each individual's needs, and that can be accessed immediately, and in an equal world this would actually be happening. Sadly in Britain at the moment mental services are seriously inadequate and letting  many down badly, this is the harsh and bitter reality. 
There is an urgent need to close the huge gap in access to care for people with mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities around the world, and aims to raise awareness of the inequality in access to mental health care, both locally and globally, for marginalised people, particularly for people living in poverty.The day serves to remind us that access to mental  health services remains unequal with between 75% to 95 % of people with mental  disorders in low and middle income countries unable to access mental health services at all and access in high income countries not much better. Lack of investment  in mental health disproportonate to the overall health budget contribute to the mental health treatment gap.
As the winter nears and the days get shorter, our regular routines can be disrupted, so it’s a great time to remind ourselves of the basics. On World Mental Health Day we are encouraged to take an hour out to reflect on our lives, and where we might implement some positive habits.This isn’t just for those already affected, prevention is just as important as a cure.  
The charity Mind has outlined 5 steps we can take today to begin making positive changes or creating healthy habits: 
1.Connect with other people 
2.Be physically active
3.Practice mindfulness 
4.Learn a new skill 
5.Give to others
If you are at all impacted by mental health issues remember that you are not alone, and there is no shame in reaching out for support to get through it. If you need to talk to someone, the NHS mental health helpline page includes organisations you can call for help, such as Mind, Anxiety UK https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/ and Bipolar UK.https://www.bipolaruk.org/ or call The Samaritans on 116 123.Call your GP and ask for an emergency appointment. Call NHS 111 (England) or NHS Direct (Wales) for out-of-hours to help .Contact your mental health crisis team, if that is you have one. 
On World Mental Health Day let's continue to  fight for an NHS that guarantees universal mental health support. Let's also fight against conditions of poverty and precarity that engender stress, anxiety and depression, raise awareness of mental health and engage in conversations to break the stigmas surrounding mental health and wellbeing. Don't judge those impacted by mental health problems, recognise that urgent action is needed to prevent these people from  experiencing the potentially serious consequences of stigma and discrimination, and  re-affirm our commitment to a compassionate and caring society.

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