World Mental Health Day Celebration 2020

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October 10^th is globally celebrated as World Mental Health Day to boost awareness of the diverse mental health issues and disperse the stigma around their open discussion. The ongoing pandemic has enhanced the importance of this celebration as globally countries record deteriorating mental health statistics. The adverse repercussions produced due to the pandemic have impacted millions across the world- making global dialogues on mental health concerns an indispensable imperative.

Historical Context of this Celebration

The first Mental Health Day was celebrated in the year 1992, with the objective of solely raising public awareness on mental health issues. Specific thematic celebrations of the day came to be adopted from 1994 onwards. The World Health Organization has planned for a special event on 10^th October, 2020- the first global advocacy event of its kind. Entitled The Big Event for Mental Health, it is to be graced by world leaders, celebrities and mental health experts to initiate a dialogue with regard to the proposed equal accessibility of mental health services to all. This announcement was made by WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The proposed event is to be live streamed globally on the WHO social media platforms.

Theme for 2020 Celebrations

The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) has announced the theme for this year’s celebration as ‘Mental Health for All: Greater Investment, Greater Access’. Emphasis is being placed upon boosting greater investment in handling of mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined the present condition of mental health services as ‘chronically underfunded’. Physical well-being is hinged on an equally well rounded mental health. With the covid-19 pandemic crisis raging, internationally the funding for mental health improvement among countries has dropped drastically- as noted by a WHO survey. Disruptions of mental health services accompanied by an alarming rise in mental health issues globally has been witnessed during the course of the pandemic. An all-round investment strategy is needed to address the mental health carnage produced by the pandemic. The WHO has instructed countries to include mental well-being as a part of their covid-19 response plans, as deficits in this arena are already glaring.