World Mental Health Day 2021: Theme, History & Significance

World Mental Health Day is celebrated to spread awareness about mental health and gather efforts to prevent possible mental conditions like depression and loneliness, leading to suicidal thoughts.

When is World Mental Health Day 2021?

The World Mental Health Day is observed every year on 10th October. The day holds immense importance to raise awareness about a critical topic of public discussion – mental health. We can achieve sound mental health by thinking positive, practising yoga, doing meditation, taking deep breaths in between work, exercising regularly etc.

World Mental Health Day 2021 – History

An international NGO by the name World Federation for Mental Health [WFMH] took up initiative steps in the year 1992 to spread global awareness and campaigns on mental health. The multi-disciplinary organization, under the aegis of General Richard Hunter, who was the Deputy Secretary, took baby steps to advocate mental health understanding among people.

The celebrations did not take off on a very grand scale at the beginning. For the initial three years, they set a standard scheme to carry out the day’s celebrations. The federation co-worked with Florida satellite systems to present a two-hour-long TV program entirely dedicated to people’s mental health. Telephone conversations and telecaller’s were encouraged to participate and get their queries answered.

This program helped people from far off points across the globe. People reached out to WFMH personnel with their mental issues from places as far as Geneva, Mexico and Atlanta. In 1994, this program was improvised with a theme-in place. The first and foremost theme concerned the qualitative aspects of mental health services across the world. This program had an extensive outreach, and popularity grew amongst parents of special needs children and mentally disabled children.

The federation, in the coming years, took to enormous popularity with its next set of measures. It took steps to translate its published material into other widely spoken world languages like Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, French etc. This longstanding project is one-of-its-kind, service-oriented and is very popular amongst the masses.

World Mental Health Day 2021 Theme

• The World Mental Health Day 2021 theme is undecided yet. The year 2020 theme focused on “Mental health for all, greater investment – greater access”.
• 2019 theme gave specific focus to “Suicide Prevention.” It also stressed the need to lend a helping hand to those in need to save many lives.
• 2018 belonged to the younger generation and their psychological problems, if any. So the theme of that year related to “young people and their mental health changes in a rapidly transforming world”.
• 2017 theme was “Mental health in the Workplace.”
• The year 2016 focussed on “Psychological First Aid.”

World Mental Health Day 2021 Celebration

World Mental Health Day is celebrated in several ways across the globe; some of the everyday activities are highlighted below:

• The day could be spent offering relaxation to employees at the workplace. Also, they could be provided simple therapies that could rejuvenate their senses and help them take off the stress built on their mental systems.
• Active campaigning about mental health, ways to boost mental health in terms of adequate breaks in between work, practising Yoga and exercise regularly and cultivating good hobbies to strengthen the spiritual system offers solace and help.
• Volunteering and spreading awareness on depression, tackling it, keeping away from negativity and providing support to victims can be a meaningful way to celebrate the day.
• NGOs can form groups to initiate awareness activities in each area and help identify victims who need help to overcome their mental suffering.
• Institutes offering medical care for people living with a mental disease can be provided monetary funds to provide more support for the noble cause they are involved in.