Mental Health Day 10 October 2019

World Mental Health Day 2019 will take place on Thursday 10 October, and the theme this year is suicide prevention. The World Federation for Mental Health stated that the object of making suicide prevention the focus in 2019 is to attract the attention of governments so that the issue might be given priority in public health agendas around the world.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 700,000 people die by suicide each year and it is the leading cause of death among people aged 15-29. It is a complex and misunderstood phenomenon and many people suffer in silence before reaching out for help. Many suicide victims may have had untreated mental health problems.

In June 2019 the UK government announced a new package of support that will ‘overhaul [the] approach to preventing mental illness’. As part of this new approach, every new teacher will be trained in how to spot the signs of mental health issues. This is a welcome proposal from the government, as it could increase the chances of helping children at an early stage who would be vulnerable to suffering from mental health problems later on in life.

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of the mental health charity Mind, was reported to say:

‘It’s particularly positive to see such priority given to young people’s mental health – our recent work in schools has shown us the true scale of the need and, as most mental health problems start in childhood, decent support as early as possible is key.’

Suicide is preventable but sometimes people who require mental health support are unable to access services. The World Federation for Mental Health have stated that this year they will be producing reports and documents for professionals and the community so that they are prepared to address the issue.

The federation’s president Dr. Alberto Trimboli has said that ‘getting people to talk about a subject that tends to be taboo and about which many hold mistaken and prejudiced ideas will help the community to learn about the risk factors so that they can identify and learn to address them.’

At Miles and Partners, we welcome this approach and on 10 October 2019 we will taking part in The Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s green ribbon campaign. Anyone can sign up to be a part of this groundbreaking initiative that is committed to changing attitudes around mental health and strives to create healthier and more inclusive workplaces by reducing stigma, dispelling myths, and improving employee wellbeing for good.

On World Mental Health Day 2019, we will be wearing green ribbons to show solidarity and support for good mental health in the workplace.

The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published. Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.