World Mental Health Day
Sunday 10th October 2021
Mental health in an unequal world
The theme of this year's World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is 'Mental health in an unequal world'.
From the beginning of the pandemic, we've been tracking its impact on people's mental health. Our research has shown that some of the people struggling the most are those who were already facing considerable challenges – people with long term health conditions, or facing discrimination, or parenting on their own. That is why we are launching a £2 million Covid Response Programme to work with partners to help some of the people who have been hardest hit.
World Mental Health Day is also a chance to talk about mental health in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if you are struggling.
Get involved by sharing our social media graphics or show your support and #PinItForMentalHealth with a green ribbon.
What is mental health?
Being mentally healthy doesn’t just mean that you don’t have a mental health problem.
If you’re in good mental health, you can:
- make the most of your potential
- cope with life
- play a full part in your family, workplace, community and among friends.
Some people call mental health ‘emotional health’ or ‘well-being’ and it’s just as important as good physical health.
Mental health is everyone’s business. We all have times when we feel down or stressed or frightened. Most of the time those feelings pass. But sometimes they develop into a more serious problem and that could happen to any one of us.
Everyone is different. You may bounce back from a setback while someone else may feel weighed down by it for a long time.
Your mental health doesn’t always stay the same. It can change as circumstances change and as you move through different stages of your life.
There’s a stigma attached to mental health problems. This means that people feel uncomfortable about them and don’t talk about them much. Many people don’t even feel comfortable talking about their feelings. But it’s healthy to know and say how you’re feeling.