World Mental Health Day 2023

[Paula]

It’s World Mental Health Day this Tuesday 10th October and the theme for this year is ‘Mental health is a universal human right’.

In past World Mental Health Days we have featured posts from many of you, our wonderful DWD family, and it’d be great if we could do the same again. So, if there’s a message or story you’d like to share, then please send me a dm. The post could reflect the theme but doesn’t have to. If you would like to remain anonymous, please let me know and I’ll make sure that happens.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what you’ve all got to say!

[SJW180]

I’m happy to share something. Not sure I understand the theme. Everyone has the right to be mentally ill? Or everyone has the right to treatment when they are mentally ill? Do they mean disability rights? Maybe it’s all of that, I don’t know.

[Paula]

A very quick google gave me this from the World Health Organisation

Mental health is a basic human right for all people. Everyone, whoever and wherever they are, has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risks, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community.

Good mental health is vital to our overall health and well-being. Yet one in eight people globally are living with mental health conditions, which can impact their physical health, their well-being, how they connect with others, and their livelihoods. Mental health conditions are also affecting an increasing number of adolescents and young people.

Having a mental health condition should never be a reason to deprive a person of their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health. Yet all over the world, people with mental health conditions continue to experience a wide range of human rights violations. Many are excluded from community life and discriminated against, while many more cannot access the mental health care they need or can only access care that violates their human rights.

[SJW180]

That clears things up. Thank you. Good to see you back, hope you are doing ok.