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Raising World Children is about celebrating different lifestyles, experiences and cultures. It is about what we all bring to this vast world table. Perhaps one thing world cultures share is a hesitation to discuss mental health.
World Mental Health Day aims to change that.
Mental health challenges know no borders.
In the United States, medical offices began offering questionnaires several years ago with the hope of helping those who didn’t even realize there was an issue. While this does provide a method of gathering information, it doesn’t go far enough. Eliminating the stigma surrounding any mental health disorder must come first. Enter World Mental Health Day. The overriding goal is to raise awareness of mental health issues, and mobilizing efforts in support of better mental health.
Established in 1992, this year’s 25th anniversary theme is Mental Health in the Workplace. Given that many folks spend a third (or more) of their day at work, addressing mental concerns there only makes sense.
Depression doesn’t always manifest with someone feeling sad and lonely.
It may show up through the back door in the form of a myriad of other ailments. While symptoms are addressed, the root cause can sometimes slip through the cracks, leading to a medical merry-go-round because we don’t think about the mental aspects of wellness. More than 300 million people worldwide live with depression. An additional 260 million experience debilitating anxiety.
What can we do? As a society embracing cultures across the globe, we can extend a hand. How?
Appreciate each other, and show your gratitude.
Foster a supportive environment.
Watch for early signs of burnout.
Build awareness of mental health issues and reduce the stigma.
Help each other.
What else can you do?
If you’d like to help, one of the best things you can do is to talk about mental health, to make it just like any other health concern that needs to be addressed. Mental health shouldn’t be spoken about in whispers; it should be given the same level of concern as any other condition that affects your overall health.
Want to know more?
Check out the 2017 World Mental Health Day report, better yet, sign the workplace pledge. Use #worldmentalhealthday. Add a banner to a social media profile. It all comes down to the same thing: raise awareness. Mental health issues don’t discriminate, and they don’t abide borders, or economic status. They hurt everyone equally. Raising awareness raises the opportunity for treatment.
For my children, and for yours, and for all the ones we’ll never meet, let’s work together to make everyone feel better about asking for the help they need.
And when you ask someone, “How are you?” really listen to the answer.
Deborah Fingerlow is a writer, traveler and explorer seeking adventures both large and small. Parent to one daughter in college and one teenage son in cyber-school. Food allergies play a significant role in day to day life decisions, as does the support network of a small town in south central Pennsylvania. Neighbors are known by their first names and a walking district encourages community engagement. Business to business communications and the development of authentic connections are Deborah Fingerlow’s superpowers. You can find her at the local farmer’s market, therapy dogs in tow, camera in hand.