Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message on World Mental Health Day, observed on 10 October:

On World Mental Health Day, the United Nations highlights the importance of making mental health care available to all people who need it, whatever their circumstances and wherever they live.  This year, we are drawing attention to the urgent need to provide immediate support to people who experience psychological distress after surviving a crisis.

These events take many forms.  Today, we are witnessing an unprecedented wave of humanitarian emergencies linked to conflict and natural disasters.  Meanwhile, millions of people each year endure sexual assault, violent crime and traumatic accidents.

Too often, people who suffer like this receive little or no immediate counselling.  In situations of humanitarian crisis, it is because there are rarely any trained mental health professionals available.  However, it is perfectly possible to train first responders, such as police and fire officers, emergency health staff and humanitarian aid workers to provide “psychological first aid” to people in need.  We have seen such examples in the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and the approach is also being offered widely in Syria and for thousands of displaced people in Greece, Nigeria and South Sudan.

Psychological first aid is just one component of the broader mental health services integral to national health systems that Governments committed to in the World Health Organization’s Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020.  Governments need to develop robust systems of care for the short- and long-term.  Civil society organizations can support these efforts through raising awareness, community-based programmes and research.  And each one of us can examine how we can offer support to our friends, families and neighbours.

On this World Mental Health Day, let us all show compassion and empathy for those who have survived a crisis and make sure they can access the help they need, for as long as they require it.

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Dag Rekve, Senior Technical Officer, Management of Substance Abuse, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization and Professor Gabriel Ivbijaro, President World Federation for Mental Health at the Geneva Conference

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London Eye light up purple on World Mental Health Day.
Photo by Wouter van der Zouwen

The World Mental Health Week Celebrations were held at the LRC Hall, Dept of Psychiatry PIMS on Oct 18, 2016 at Tiruvalla, India. The programme was organised in collaboration with  the World Association of Social Psychiatry.

WMH Day Theme: "Psychological First Aid"

Rev Fr Mathew Punakulam (Administrator, Pushpagiri) was the Chief Guest and inaugurated the meeting. President- Elect, WASP Roy Abraham Kallivayalil presided. Dr Prasad Cheeramattom (SWC Member, IMA), Dr G Sukumaran (Professor of Medicine), Dr Vikram Gowda (Vice-Principal), Dr Fazal Mohammed (Associate Professor of Psychiatry) and Dr Sr Liza spoke on the occasion. 

 World Mental Health Week Awards were presented to Carers and Families.

The meeting discussed various aspects of 'psychological first aid' and the importance of equipping community gate keepers including teachers, social workers, religious leaders, police and administrators about its basic tenets. This was followed by a 'Mental Health Exhibition'.

Photo Caption: Rev Fr Mathew Punakulam (Administrator, Pushpagiri) delivers the inaugural address during WMH Week celebrations at Tiruvalla, In Photo Caption: Rev Fr Mathew Punakulam (Administrator, Pushpagiri) delivers the inaugural address during WMH Week celebrations at Tiruvalla, India. Dr Fazal Mohammed, Dr Prasad Cheermattom, Prof Roy Kallivayalil and Prof G Sukumaran are also seen. 

Maryland, Egoro Amede, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria, West Africa

The “Jai Vakeel Foundation”, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, celebrate World Mental Health Day every year  by organising a seminar or a workshop based on the theme proposed by the World Federation of Mental Health, for the parents of persons with Intellectual Disability and for the professional working in the field of Mental Health.

Please find attached a file of the summary report of our this year's celebration of World Mental Health Day.

Warm Regards,

Amita Shah
Clinical Psychologist,
Jai Vakeel Foundation,
Mumbai, Maharashtra
India

World Mental Health Day

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID: October 10th is a day set aside by World Health Organization to mark the World Mental Health Day. It is a special day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health. The World Federation for Mental Health has declared “Psychological First Aid” as the theme for 2016 World Mental Health Day. In this article we shall examine some of the symptoms and forms of mental health problem. In addition to Psychological First Aid we shall highlight other forms of first aid such as Physical first aid and essentially Spiritual first aid.

J R Hospital Mumbai, India,  also celebrated the mental health week from 4.10.2016. to 10.10.2016.

Dr J P Rawat 
Chief and HOD psychiatry
J R Hospital
Mumbai Central 400008

Mental Health Week-2016
Department of Psychiatry
Jagjivanram Western Railways Hospital Mumbai

Western Railways Hospital Mumbai

Kabul, 10th Oct. 2016 - Ministry of public health of Afghanistan celebrated World Mental Health Day 2016 under slogan of “Psychological First Aid” In order to highlight the importance of mental health for the people, identify priorities and effective strategies to reduce mental health suffering.

This ceremony which is celebrated at Suhaila Sediq Hall, MoPH, Dr. Bashir Ahmad Sarwari head of mental health & substance abuse department welcomed to the guests then his excellency Dr. Ahmad Jan Naeem deputy Minister of MoPH, Dr. Gabiel Octavian Leonte EU delegate Afghanistan, Dr. Supriya Warusavithanas WHO representative, Mrs. Inge Missmahl IPSO director and a Psychosocial Counselor spoke about the subject.

In this case MoPH, translated and adopted the Psychological First Aid guide which is recommended by WHO to Persian (Dari) and piloted in 9 Northern provinces including Konar provice which is recognize as a vulnerable province in 2014, that gave us a good result. This guide empower the people and the societies to control their selves and the situation in emergencies. Now, MoPH has plan to implement this program in 7 vulnerable provinces as Kunduz, Helmand, Takhar, Badakhshan, Zabul, Nangarhar and Baghlan in first step and in second step will implement to all provinces of the country.

Herat: It is noteworthy that world mental health day 2016 officially celebrated in west south region (Herat Province) as mental health week, and some interventions have started occasion of this day there.

Balkh: Also it is celebrated in Mazar e Sharif by cooperation of Balkh PPHD and other mental health stakeholders and implementers.(see related photos)