The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health and is commemorated on October 10th.

The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is ‘Mental health in an unequal world’.

Mental Health is becoming more and more widely spoken about as people are becoming more comfortable with expressing themselves and the trials they go through. With the emergence of social media platforms, we have seen people more open about their mental health. However, unfortunately in a lot of communities, not only restricted to the rural areas, mental health is still not something that is spoken about or taken seriously which is extremely dangerous. It is said that people currently in their teens and twenties are experiencing more damage to their mental health than before. This can be attributed to a lot of things such as generational debt, the Covid pandemic, societal pressure, and others. It is important for all of us to have a safe space in which we can be ourselves and express ourselves, it is imperative to have an outlet. It is also important to check up on one another, sometimes you may not know what someone close to you is going through until it’s too late.

For our community members and others who may find it useful, we have a Mental Health Support group manual that highlights step-by-step how to start up a club and also resources and organizations that provide support. This manual can be accessed on our website at www.responsenetwork.org