World Mental Health Day 2024

This year on the 10th October World Mental Health Day is focusing on raising awareness particularly on the chosen theme: “It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace“.

It is a day that serves as a reminder for individuals, communities and employers to take actions that support mental health. There are many steps that can be taken to ensure we are looking after an important part of our overall wellbeing.

When did this observance start?

This was first observed in 1992 on October 10th, and became an annual activity started by the World Federation for Mental Health.

The full list of themes by year is at the bottom of this article.

Click here to jump straight there

Why the importance?

The aim is to globally raise awareness and to educate on critical mental health topics, to create action, reduce social stigma and create lasting change. According to WHO in 2019, it was estimated that some 970 million people globally were living with some mental disorder, with anxiety and depression leading the way. Having mental health conditions can be a result of or lead to issues at school and work places, which can affect many aspects of life including relationships.

In a work setting employers have an obligation to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their employees including mental health issues. Many who suffer mental health issues at work may be a result of being stressed, work demands, discrimination, lack of support or information but not limited to.

According the report by the Office for National Statistics, in 2022 number 5 on list of absences was mental health accounting for 7.9%. It further states "Mental health conditions" includes stress, depression, anxiety and serious mental health problems. 

With those startling figures there are many local and global organisations in place to support those living with mental health conditions and growing awareness of it. Each have their own focus and provide valuable insight and resources for both individuals and guidelines for employers, here are a few from across the world:

• World Federation for Mental Health

• World Health Organisation

• Sane

• Mind

• Nami

• Rethink Mental Illness

  
  

Green yes green

If you hadn't noticed many people wear green to signify this day and show their support for those affected by mental health, and to support a positive change.

The colour green has a calming effect and promotes positivity, and due to it's connection with nature and life it can signify new beginnings.

Rare Mental Disorders

I would not stay true to our site if I did not mention something regarding rare illnesses, so in support of raising awareness here are a few rare mental disorders that you may or may not know about:

Alice in wonderland syndrome - The Alice in Wonderland syndrome is a term applied to altered bizarre perceptions of size and shapes of a patient's body and illusions of changes in the forms, dimensions, and motions of objects that a patient with this syndrome encounters. These metamorphopsias arise during complex partial seizures, migraine headaches, infections, and intoxications. The illusions and hallucinations resemble the strange phenomena that Alice experienced in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Alien hand syndrome - Alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a rare disorder of involuntary limb movement together with a sense of loss of limb ownership. It most commonly affects the hand, but can occur in the leg. The anterior (frontal, callosal) and posterior variants are recognized, with distinguishing clinical features and anatomical lesions. Initial descriptions were attributed to stroke and neurosurgical operations, but neurodegenerative causes are now recognized as most common.

Visual snow syndrome - Visual snow syndrome is a neurological condition characterized by ongoing prominent phenomena described consistently as tiny dots moving across the entire visual field, often associated with complex visual symptoms. These can take the form of afterimages, entoptic phenomena, nyctalopia and light sensitivity. Although some of these symptoms can be benign, they can nonetheless become significantly impactful for many who experience them, particularly in cases that have a sudden and abrupt start.

What will you do today?

Maybe you will wear green, maybe think about what support your employer offers, maybe this day is for you or someone you know, what ever you do big or small I am convinced someone out there will appreciate it. And if you feel someone else could benefit from reading this, pass it along.

Full list of annual themes since 1994

This is the full list of World Mental Health themes observed so far, click on the arrows next the the year to see each theme.

1994

Improving the Quality of Mental Health Services throughout the World

1996

Women and Mental Health

1997

Children and Mental Health

1998

Mental Health and Human Rights

1999

Mental Health and Aging

2000–01

Mental Health and Work

2002

The Effects of Trauma and Violence on Children & Adolescents

2003

Emotional and Behavioural Disorders of Children & Adolescents

2004

The Relationship Between Physical & Mental Health: co-occurring disorders

2005

Mental and Physical Health Across the Life Span

2006

Building Awareness – Reducing Risk: Mental Illness & Suicide

2007

Mental Health in A Changing World: The Impact of Culture and Diversity

2008

Making Mental Health a Global Priority: Scaling up Services through Citizen Advocacy and Action

2009

Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health

2010

Mental Health and Chronic Physical Illnesses

2011

The Great Push: Investing in Mental Health

2012

Depression: A Global Crisis

2013

Mental health and older adults

2014

Living with Schizophrenia

2015

Dignity in Mental Health

2016

Psychological First Aid

2017

Mental health in the workplace

2018

Young people and mental health in a changing world

2019

Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention

2020

Move for mental health: Increased investment in mental health

2021

Mental Health in an Unequal World

2022

Make Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority

2023

Mental Health is a universal human right

References:

Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 26 April 2023, ONS website, article, Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2022

Fine EJ. The Alice in Wonderland syndrome. Prog Brain Res. 2013;206:143-56. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-63364-4.00025-9. PMID: 24290480.

Hassan A, Josephs KA. Alien Hand Syndrome. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2016 Aug;16(8):73. doi: 10.1007/s11910-016-0676-z. PMID: 27315251.

Silva EM, Puledda F. Visual snow syndrome and migraine: a review. Eye (Lond). 2023 Aug;37(12):2374-2378. doi: 10.1038/s41433-023-02435-w. Epub 2023 Feb 14. PMID: 36788360; PMCID: PMC10397188.