World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10 every year. It’s a chance to raise awareness about various mental health conditions, letting people know they’re not alone. Everyone is encouraged to get involved - be it raising money for mental health charities, sharing their mental health stories, or reaching out to a friend or family member to ask if they’re okay. 

This blog post will explore World Mental Health Day in more detail, offering a brief look at the history behind this celebration. We’ll also show ways you can celebrate this day or offer support to a friend suffering from anxiety, depression, or any other mental health concern. 

The History Of World Mental Health Day

The first World Mental Health Day was celebrated in 1992. It was initially created by the World Federation for Mental Health - the largest global mental health organization. The premise behind the first event was the same as it is today: To raise awareness and break down the stigma surrounding mental health in society. 

For the first two years, World Mental Health Day was celebrated with no real theme. In 1994, the first theme was introduced - Improving the Quality of Mental Health Services throughout the World. Since then, each year has a different theme. This year,the day was celebrated with the theme that Mental Health is a universal human right. 

Ways To Celebrate World Mental Health Day

Celebrating World Mental Health Day is a lot easier than most people imagine. You don’t need to perform any grand gestures - often, the smaller acts are the most powerful. Sometimes, the best thing you can do to celebrate this day is to simply talk about mental health. Whether this means posting about it on your social media or speaking to friends in real life, the whole aim of this celebration is to raise awareness, and talking will do just that! 

There are other things you can do as well: 

• Wear a green ribbon (it’s the international symbol of mental health awareness).
• Raise money for a chosen mental health charity.
• Provide people with educational resources about mental health (you can link things on your social media or hand out pamphlets at work).
• Share important contact details across social media (this can include the national suicide prevention hotline and the numbers of any charities in your area).
• Volunteer at a local mental health charity for the day.
• Check in on all your loved ones and ask how they’re doing.
• Take a mental health day if you need to.

Ultimately, your celebrations should be geared around getting more people to open up about mental health. We want to create a society where people speak about mental illness in the same way they talk about other health problems. Nobody has 100% perfect mental health all the time throughout their life. We all go through periods of ups and downs, so it’s important to know that you’re not alone if you’re currently suffering from mental health challenges.

How To Support A Friend On World Mental Health Day

As mentioned above, talking to friends or reaching out to someone can make a huge difference on this day. If you have friends or family members that you haven’t spoken to in a while, it always helps if you contact them. Call your sibling or a close friend and ask them out for coffee. Speak about your lives; open up about your mental health if they ask how you’re feeling, and then reciprocate the question back at them. You’ll be amazed how people open up after someone asks this simple question: How are you, really?

It’s easy to support a friend on World Mental Health Day, but what about friends who have already taken steps to deal with their mental health concerns? We’re lucky to have plenty of treatment options for mental health nowadays, one of which is to admit yourself to a psychiatric hospital. Here, an individual will get professional help to deal with deep-rooted mental health issues, allowing them to live a fulfilling life. 

If your friend is in a psychiatric hospital, here are two simple ways to support them on World Mental Health Day: 

Send flowers

The majority of psychiatric hospitals operate a flower service. When someone admits themselves to one of these hospitals, the whole idea is that they become an inpatient. They stay in the hospital until they start getting better, so they don’t tend to have much contact with the outside world. A flower service gives loved ones an opportunity to send them something nice. You can write a message on a card showing your support and reminding them that they’re never alone. 

It’s a very simple gesture, but we’ve seen firsthand how much it means to people. A bouquet of flowers brightens their room during their stay and can make them feel very positive. At the very least, it lets them know that people care about them and miss them! 

Call them

While you’re unable to meet your friend for coffee or a meal, you can call them at the hospital. All you have to do is contact the psychiatric hospital directly and request that your call be diverted to your friend. Give them the full name, and they’ll find the right department. 

Hearing your voice will be a huge boost to your friend and it helps them on their road to recovery. Again, it’s another way of reminding them that people do care. Both of these ideas show support on World Mental Health Day, but there’s no reason you can’t do them regularly. Even if you call your friend once every couple of weeks, it helps them feel loved and supported. 

Over the last few years, more and more people are suffering from anxiety and depression. It raises the importance of World Mental Health Day as millions of people are struggling. If we can raise awareness for mental health, it goes a long way to encouraging others to speak out about their struggles. They may realize they’re not alone and will want to seek help. Next October 10, make sure you’re doing all you can to celebrate this day and support your friends. 

If you’re struggling with your mental health at this time and desire to seek professional help, contact Jackson House today. Our trained professionals are ready to help you find wellness and the support you need.