World Mental Health Day being observed today

World Mental Health Day is being observed on Tuesday (today).

This year the theme of the day is ‘Mental health is a universal human right’.

The World Mental Day is an opportunity for people and communities to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.

In his message on the World Mental Health Day, President Dr. Arif Alvi has called for creating awareness about mental health and well-being of people.

The President said most mental illnesses can be cured in a cost-effective manner if diagnosed and managed at an early stage.

He stated: “We need an integrated approach to strengthen the existing infrastructure by using online mental health portals, virtual programs, artificial intelligence, mental health chatbots, helplines, mobilizing relevant government and other stakeholders, and forging public-private partnerships”.

History 

World Mental Health Day was first observed on October 10, 1992 as an annual activity of World Federation for Mental Health.

The day initially did not have a specific theme and its aim was to promote mental health advocacy and educating the public on relevant issues.

With each passing year, the day's popularity continued to grow.

World Mental Health Day provides an opportunity to talk about mental health in general, how to break the stigma around it, and the importance of speaking out when struggling with a mental health issue.