World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness around mental health disorders, educate people, and advocate against social stigma. Let’s read about World Mental Health Day and Mental health disorders in detail! 

10 October 2024, World Mental Health Day celebrates people with mental health diseases and raises awareness about mental health problems. On World Mental Health Day, mental health advocates educate people about various mental health conditions and normalize the stigma behind them. 

Since 1992, this day has been celebrated every year so that mental health patients no longer suffer in silence. If you are unaware of World Mental Health Day, mental health, its importance, different problems, symptoms, and more, we have got you covered. This article is a complete guide to Happy World Mental Health Day.

What is Mental Health?

A significant and necessary part of health is mental health. Our emotional, psychological, and social well-being requires mental health fitness and well-being. A significant consequence of this definition is that mental health is more than merely the absence of psychiatric illnesses or conditions. When we deal with life, it influences how we perceive, behave, and act. It also helps decide how we cope with tension, interact with others, and make decisions. At any level of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood and aging, mental health is significant. Daily life, marriages, and physical health may be influenced by mental health.

On 10 October 1992, World Mental Health Day was first celebrated. It was started by Deputy Secretary-General Richard Hunter as an annual initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health. The world mental day is formally commemorated on 10 October every year.

Mental health has been a huge worldwide problem. For developing countries in particular, such as Africa, where the population is already trying to combat the legacy of slavery, hunger, and bigotry. Conditions such as fatigue, depression, and anxiety may also affect mental health and interfere with a person’s routine. While the word mental health is widely used,  physicians identify any physical roots of many cases as psychiatric illnesses.

What is Good Mental Health?

Good mental health doesn’t mean you feel happy at all times or you never have bad moods or bad days. However, if your anxiety, depressed mood, or other mental health problems are overwhelming or impossible to deal with, you don’t have good mental health at the moment.

Mental and psychological well-being is linked to good mental health. The work of the WHO to improve the mental health of people and society at large includes the enhancement of mental well-being, the prevention of mental illness, the defense of human rights, and the treatment of individuals affected by mental disorders.

Good mental health involves being able to think, feel, and react generally in the ways you need and want to live your life. But if you go through a time of poor mental health, you may find it difficult or even hard to deal with how you always think, feel, or respond. This can feel almost as horrible or even worse as a physical disease.

Good mental health is defined by the capacity of an individual to perform a variety of main functions and procedures, including:

• The power to understand
• The capacity to perceive, communicate, and control a combination of positive and negative feelings
• The capacity to build and maintain positive relationships with others
• The potential for mental health awareness and uncertainty to deal with and handle.

Purpose Of World Mental Health Day 2024

World Mental Health Day was first celebrated on October 10, 1992, to normalize mental health problems and educate people about mental health and related disorders. Through this day, the World Federation of Mental Health wanted to remove the stigma behind mental health and allow people to talk about it openly like any other disease. In 2024, the theme for the World Mental Health Day is “Mental Health at Work.

Importance Of Mental Health 

More than 450 million people worldwide experience mental health problems, and most fail to discuss their feelings because mental health issues are not treated as any other disease. There’s an inspirational world mental health day quotes – “Your mental health is just as important as your physical health.” According to WHO, mental health will soon be the world’s second-largest disease, affecting almost every aspect of an individual’s life. 

It includes:

• Emotional, psychological, and social well-being
• How we feel, think, and act 
• How fitness helps mental health and how we make healthy choices, handle stress, and relate to others
• Make decisions 

Also, mental health primarily impacts a person’s ability to make meaningful relationships, navigate challenges, and make informed decisions. According to a recent study by WHO, nearly 20% of children, teenagers, and adolescents worldwide are experiencing mental health disorders, making suicide the second most common reason for death among people between 15 and 29 years of age.

What are Mental Health Problems?

Problems of mental health vary from the issues we all face as part of daily life to extreme long-term illnesses. Most people who have mental health issues, particularly if they seek treatment early, may get over them or learn to cope with them.

In any given year, mental health disorders impact about one in four persons. They range from widespread issues such as anxiety and depression to unusual problems such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Symptoms Of Mental Health Problems 

Here are some of the common symptoms of mental health problems:

• The feeling of hopelessness, sadness, or powerlessness
• Change in the appetite or sleeping pattern
• Increased pessimism 
• Trouble paying attention or concentrating 
• Difficulty in completing any task at work or in school
• Feel like isolating yourself
• Not enjoying World Mental Health Day Activities with your loved ones
• Experiencing sudden anger or sadness 
• Suicidal thoughts 
• No longer attend office or classes
• Excessive sweating and dizziness
• Muscle pain and tension
• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Frequent diarrhea and upset stomach 
• Visible panic attacks
• Distorted or poor body image
• Irregular heartbeat

Types Of Mental Health Problems

Here are the different kinds of mental health problems: 

1. Anxiety Disorders: Anxiety disorders include excessive fear, worry, or nervousness. Common examples include pain disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, and social anxiety disorder. 
2. Mood Disorders: Mood disorder includes sudden changes in a person’s mood, bipolar disorder, depression, and cyclothymic disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder. 
3. Personality Disorders: These include body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). 
4. Eating Disorders: Eating disorders include unhealthy behavior about eating, food, and body image. Common eating disorders are Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder. 
5. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Also known as PTSD, this disorder occurs after a traumatic experience or event in life. 

Causes Of Mental Health Problems 

Although there is no specific or a single cause which results in mental health problems. For most people, several incidents and factors at home, work, school, or other places disrupt a person’s mental health and result in conditions like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and more. 

Here are some of the potential causes of mental health problems:

• Loneliness and social isolation
• Debt, poverty, or financial instability 
• Poor living conditions 
• Being a victim of a traumatic relationship 
• Witnessing or experiencing a crime 
• Bigotry and discrimination
• Alcohol or drug abuse 
• Long-term stress
• Childhood trauma and abuse
• Domestic toxicity, abuse, or violence 
• Head injuries or other neurological conditions
• Bereavement

Treatment of Mental Health Problems

Some of the popular treatment options to treat mental health disorders are: 

• Prescription medicine
• Psychotherapy or talk therapy
• Support groups

Other therapies include:

• Interpersonal therapy
• Behavioral therapy
• Psychoanalysis
• Psychodynamic psychotherapy
• Cognitive therapy
• Supportive psychotherapy
• Hospital or residential treatment program
• Brain stimulation therapy

Tips To Treat Mental Health Problems 

Here are some potential tips to treat mental health issues: 

• Spend some quality time with your friends, family, and loved ones. 
• Learn to understand and manage your feelings. 
• Do not rely on alcohol or drugs to cope with difficult times. 
• Get enough sleep and drink water. 
• Surround yourself with people who support you. 
• Indulge in some exercise.
• Eat healthy and nutritious food. 
• Be open-minded and curious about new experiences. 
• Get counseling and talk to experts.

Top 5 Mental Health Hospitals in India

As elsewhere in the country, Mental hospitals in India have played a significant part in the treatment of people with mental disorders. Mental health is similarly, if not more critical than physical health when it comes to preserving well-being. Sadly, most individuals in society don’t see it that way. Also, findings indicate that people undergoing chemotherapy are likely to heal much quicker after cancer treatment. Mental hospitals are an important component of India’s mental health services.

Here are the top mental health hospitals in India:

• Tulasi Psychiatric & Rehab Centre, Delhi
• Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi
• Max Super Speciality Hospital, Delhi
• Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai
• Manipal Hospital, Bangalore
• Gleneagles Global Hospital, Chennai

Last Words

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FAQs

Q1. List the top 5 mental health challenges faced by teenagers or college students.

The top 5 mental health challenges faced by teenagers or college students include depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and intent, eating disorders, and substance misuse. 

Q2. How to maintain a healthy mental health? 

Here are the top steps to maintain healthy mental health: 

• Regular exercise for 45 minutes every day. 
• Stay hydrated and eat a balanced diet 
• Take sound sleep 
• Perform relaxing activities 
• Practice gratefulness 
• Find support in your surroundings 

Q3. When is World Mental Health Day?

World Mental Health Day is celebrated on 10th October.