Events

10th OCTOBER WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

World Mental Health Day - 10 October

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.

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.

• World Mental Health Day 2015
• Previous World Mental Health Days

• Mental health care in India: restoring hope and dignity

  October 2015
  It took some time for Shamma’s family and teachers to understand why she was struggling at school.
  “Teachers complained that my daughter fought with other girls because they called her names,” says Shamma’s father, Mohammad Yusuf Mansuri. “The problem got worse. People began saying she had been possessed or fallen under black magic.”
  

  Shamma’s father, Mohammad Yusuf Mansuri has benefited from Saathi, a peer support group for caregivers.

  Quality Rights Project, India
  On the brink of despair, Mohammad found hope through a mental health facility in their home state of Gujarat, India, where Shamma was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Here, at last, she was able to get the help she so desperately needed.
  The facility is 1 of just 43 government-funded mental health hospitals, which provide services for an estimated 70 million-plus people living with mental disorders. For every 1 million people, there are just 3 psychiatrists, and even fewer psychologists.
  In Gujarat state alone, the facility is 1 of 9 that has implemented the Quality Rights Project to improve access to mental health services, while respecting the human rights of the people treated there. Established in 2014, the project is being implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Gujarat and the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy at the Indian Law Society and is supported by WHO and partners. The project is funded by Grand Challenges Canada, a Canadian government-funded nongovernmental organization.

  Seeing the person and not the disease

  Consultant psychiatrist, project coordinator of the Quality Rights Project and coordinator of the Indian Law Society’s Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy, Dr Soumitra Pathare, explained the project was launched to address a range of issues. One challenge was to change the prevailing mind-set among the community that people with mental illness lack the capacity to make meaningful decisions about their lives.
  “The hardest part of this project is changing the attitudes of health workers and the community towards people with mental illness,” says Dr Pathare. “To provide holistic care, you must see the person and not just their illness. You have to treat them as individuals with hopes and dreams."
  The Quality Rights Project goes beyond conventional treatment, by advising service users and caregivers on how to access social grants and giving career guidance. Through the project, mental health providers, caregivers and people using the services undergo training on a human rights approach to care.
  Implementation follows the step-by-step guidance provided in WHO's Quality Rights Tool Kit, which includes a list of human rights standards that must be applied along with practical tools and training materials for restructuring and improving the mental health facility, and suggestions for evaluating progress.
  “The Quality Rights project emphasizes recovery by putting individuals’ goals and aspirations to lead fulfilling lives in their community at the forefront,” explains Dr Michelle Funk, Coordinator for the Mental Health Policy and Service Development team at WHO.
  “By implementing recovery-oriented policies we can help mental health service users’ reintegrate into the community, benefiting the user, the caregiver and broader society,” she adds.
  Through its focus on human rights, the Quality Rights Project aims to empower those requiring its services.
  “We now place a lot of emphasis on empowering service users to decide on the type of treatment they wish to receive,” says Dr Ajay Chauhan, State Programme Officer for Mental Health in Gujarat. “They start to feel better about themselves and that choice.”

  Community support groups

  In Shamma’s case, the support she receives at the facility through the Quality Rights Project, including via Saathi, a peer support group for caregivers that meets regularly, has provided an invaluable source of hope for both her and the family, according to her father, Mohammad.
  “I have felt a lot of discrimination in life, but Saathi is a space where people are sharing their difficult experiences,” he says. “There has been a shift in the way I think. I find myself taking more time for my daughter and talking about her life, feelings and needs.”
  Chinmay Shah, a 36-year-old engineer diagnosed 20 years ago with schizophrenia, attests to the project’s merits.
  “I am doing much better and am able to work part time,” he says. “I visit Saathi and other facilities providing mental health care services, sharing my experience and advocating for the use of a human rights approach at these facilities. In this way, I can help others going through this.”
  “It takes a long time to recover, but it is possible.”

WELCOME

Founded in 1948, the mission of our international organization includes:

• The prevention of mental and emotional disorders;
• The proper treatment and care of those with such disorders;
• And the promotion of mental health.

The Federation, through its members and contacts in many countries, has responded to international mental health crises through its role as the only worldwide grassroots advocacy and public education organization in the mental health field. Its organizational and individual membership includes mental health workers of all disciplines, consumers of mental health services, family members, and concerned citizens.
WFMH’s broad and diverse membership makes possible collaboration among governments and non-governmental organizations to advance the cause of mental health services, research, and policy advocacy worldwide.

FEATURE STORIES & GLOBAL INFORMATION

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY REPORT FOR 2015: DIGNITY IN MENTAL HEALTH
WFMH BULLETIN-SECOND ISSUE 2015
ANNOUNCEMENT OF WFMH 2015 VOTING MEMBER ASSEMBLY AND AGENDA
WFMH POSITION STATEMENT 2015
OUTLINE OF MATERIALS FOR WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY, OCTOBER 10, 2015
REPORT OF WFMH PRESIDENT PROF. G. CHRISTODOULOU ON “DIGNITY IN
MENTAL HEALTH”
LETTER FROM WFMH PRESIDENT-ELECT ON THE UPCOMING WORLD CONGRESS IN CAIRO
WFMH 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
WFMH BULLETIN-FIRST ISSUE 2015
WFMH REGIONAL CONGRESS, SINGAPORE
OCTOBER 2015

WFMH Press Release on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
View and download our recent material
WFMH BULLETIN-SECOND ISSUE 2014
WFMH BULLETIN-FIRST ISSUE 2014
Depression in the Workplace
Mental Illness and Suicide – A Family Guide to Facing & Reducing the Risks
Depression: What You Know Can Help You

2015 EVENTS

THE XXTH WORLD CONGRESS OF THE WORLD FEDERATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH16-19 October 2015 Cairo, Egypt

http://www.wfmh2015.com

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THE SINGAPORE REGIONAL CONGRESS OF THE WORLD FEDERATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH1-3 October 2015 Singapore

http://www.wfmhsingapore2015.com/

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EASTERN EUROPEAN PSYCHIATRIC CONGRESS & 3RD PREVENTATIVE PSYCHIATRY INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS12-15 November 2015 Athens

http://www.preventive-psychiatry2015.com/

© 2015 World Federation for Mental Health