New Delhi: In 2019, 1 in every 8 people, or 970 million people around the world were living with a mental disorder, with anxiety and depressive disorders the most common, states the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Global Health Data Exchange. In 2020, the number of people living with anxiety and depressive disorders rose significantly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As per the WHO’s analysis, initial estimates show a 26 per cent and 28 per cent increase respectively for anxiety and major depressive disorders in just one year.
The WHO opines,
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global crisis for mental health, fueling short- and long-term stresses and undermining the mental health of millions. At the same time, mental health services have been severely disrupted and the treatment gap for mental health conditions has widened.
Every year, the World Health Organisation marks October 10 as World Mental Health Day, to raise awareness about mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health.
The theme for World Mental Health Day 2022 is ‘Making Mental Health and Well-Being for All a Global Priority’. This comes as the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and face its fallouts, the impact on mental health is one of them. In a press release, the WHO stated,
Growing social and economic inequalities, protracted conflicts, violence and public health emergencies affect whole populations, threatening progress towards improved well-being; a staggering 84 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced during 2021. We must deepen the value and commitment we give to mental health as individuals, communities and governments and match that value with more commitment, engagement and investment by all stakeholders, across all sectors. We must strengthen mental health care so that the full spectrum of mental health needs is met through a community-based network of accessible, affordable and quality services and supports.
The World Health Organization sees World Mental Health Day as an opportunity to shatter the stigma and discrimination associated with mental disorders that often restrict the inclusion of people and access to the right care. The global health body aims to increase awareness about preventive mental health interventions that work.
WHO will work with partners to launch a campaign around the theme. This will be an opportunity for people with mental health conditions, advocates, governments, employers, employees and other stakeholders to come together to recognise progress in this field and to be vocal about what we need to do to ensure mental health and well-being becomes a global priority for all.
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NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
