 |
|
|
|
Each year, on 10 October, World Mental Health Day aims to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health. Please give it your full support across the CWU, asks Dave Joyce, the Union’s National Health, Safety & Environment Officer.
Unionsafety has published in a previous article yesterday, the campaigns by both the Mental Health Foundation and Best For Britain campaign material and Below you can read information from the LTB not previously published on Unionsafety: ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’ The theme for 2021 was chosen in a global vote by the ‘World Federation for Mental Health’ (WFMH) members, stakeholders and supporters. The thought behind the decision is that the world is becoming increasing polarised in terms of the gap between the wealthiest and those living in poverty, which shows no sign of decreasing. The WFMH says that access to mental health services remains unequal, with between 75% to 95% of people with mental disorders in low and middle-income countries unable to access mental health services at all, and access in high income countries is not much better. Lack of investment in mental health is disproportionate to the overall health budget and contributes to the mental health treatment gap. The WFMH adds that many people with a mental illness do not receive the treatment that they are entitled to and together with their families and carers continue to experience stigma and discrimination. The gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ grows ever wider and there is continuing unmet need in the care of people with a mental health problem. The WFMH state that the Covid-19 pandemic has further highlighted the effects of inequality on health outcomes and no nation, however rich, has been fully prepared for this. The pandemic has and will continue to affect people, of all ages, in many ways: through infection and illness, sometimes resulting in death bringing bereavement to surviving family members; through the economic impact, with job losses and continued job insecurity; and with the physical distancing that can lead to social isolation. Senior Psychologists at the Health and Safety Executive have stated that there are ‘three parallel pandemics going on’; one is a global recession, which is a pandemic in its own right with loss of jobs, which we know impacts people’s mental health. There is the Covid-19 pandemic, with people going through physical illness and then we have a tidal wave of mental health issues happening, where people are experiencing significant levels of mental distress. The World Federation for Mental Health has put together educational material to support this year’s World Mental Health Day theme and this is available for download from the WFMH website on this link: https://wfmh.global/world-mental-health-day-2021-theme/ UK Mental Health - MIND That's why this year MIND wants to bring everyone together to mark the day with their better Mental Health campaigning. Making positive change can seem hard, especially during uncertain times, and sometimes, it can be hard to know where to start. MIND urges people to take the opportunity this World Mental Health Day to find out more about the MIND initiative and how you can start with one thing. Our mental health is just like our physical health: everybody has it and we need to take care of it. The MIND World Mental Health Day campaign information can be found at: https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/world-mental-health-day/ Mental health problems affect around one in four people in any given year. We all need to take care of our mental health and wellbeing whether we have a mental health problem or not. Mental wellbeing describes how you are feeling and how well you can cope with day-to-day life. It can change from moment to moment, day to day, month to month or year to year. MIND has produced a range of information, guidance and some tips and practical steps people can take to improve and maintain their wellbeing, including making time for yourself, building positive relationships and getting active. MIND has information on both common and rarer problems such as: * MIND – ‘What is Mental Health?’ video https://youtu.be/AUWhdmKyOE8 * Depression - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mentalhealth-problems/depression/about-depression/ * Anxiety and panic attacks - https://www.mind.org.uk/informationsupport/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/aboutanxiety/ * Schizophrenia - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-ofmental-health-problems/schizophrenia/about-schizophrenia/ * Bipolar disorder - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-ofmental-health-problems/bipolar-disorder/about-bipolar-disorder/ See the full LTB for further information and list of organisations and resources, downloadable from the Unionsafety Source: CWU / Dave Joyce See also: World Mental Health Day And Covid Impact Upon Mental Health
|
 |
Writing to all CWU Branches via LTB430/2021, Dave provides details of current campaigns and organisations providing support for improving the world government’s approach to preventing the causes of poor mental health; and to drastically improving the resources they provide in their countries in tackling what is now become an epidemic of mental health illnesses throughout the world.