Mental Health has always been a topic of low discussion. We have always been told about the importance of physical health but not really about mental health. Our mind is equally important to us as our body. Whatever we do and whatever decisions we take, it is our mind which is constantly at work. There is a time where we may not be doing great when it comes to mental health, and that is fine. Just as it is okay to fall sick, we may suffer from mental health issues. Society has always conditioned us to believe that mental health issues are a stigma and that they can’t be spoken about. But today, they can no longer to brushed under the carpet. It’s time we speak about these issues fervently.
First Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day was first observed on 10 October 1992. It was initially started by the World Federation for Mental Health. The day is observed on October 10th every year from then on. When it first started, there was no particular theme. Its general aim to educate people about mental health and its issue.
Theme
This year, the World Mental Health Day theme is ‘Young People and Mental Health in a changing world’. We often forget that adolescence suffers from mental health issues. Adolescence can be a trivial time since there are a lot of changes in the body while they hit puberty, body image issues, and social media bullying. All this can lead to mental health. Other causes could be genetic factors as well as traumatic incidents in a teenager’s life. Youth between the ages of 16-25 can also suffer from mental health issues. Most of them have a surrounding change. It could be that they have entered college, have started a job for the first time or are living abroad alone. These youth resorts to drugs or drinking to cope with the stress.
According to WHO, teenagers as young as 14 suffer from mental health issues. However, most of them are not treated. Teens who are depressed may have a suicidal tendency and other issues. Youth are important in bettering the economy of any country and in turn by shaping its future. Tackling mental health issues among youth can help them have a better and brighter future and also help them make the country prosperous. After all, they are the next working class.
Preventing mental health issues among youth has to begin first by making them aware of what it really is and how they can tackle the early strikes of mental health. They should be encouraged to talk to their parents and close friends as well. Parents can also look out for any initial symptoms of mental health. The government must start various campaigns in order to make people aware of the causes of mental and how they ought to treat it. It is time we made people aware of what mental health really is.