Mental Health Awareness Week, Oct. 6 to 12 and World Mental Health Day, Oct. 10
October 1, 2024
Mental Health Awareness Week (October 6-12) is a time to raise awareness and educate the public about the reality of mental illness. This week coincides with World Mental Health Day on October 10.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, in any given year, one in five Canadians will personally experience a mental health problem or illness. Poor mental health is not necessarily caused by one thing or one event. It is caused by a complex combination of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors.
With their expertise and compassion, nurses and health-care workers can help educate the public and remove the stigma around mental illness.
World Mental Health Day
The World Health Organization declared October 10 as World Mental Health Day, a day to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. This year’s theme is "Mental Health at Work."
During the World Health Assembly in May 2021, governments from around the world recognized the need to scale up quality mental health services at all levels and endorsed WHO’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030, including the Plan’s updated implementation options and indicators for measuring progress. Some countries have found new ways of providing mental health care to their populations and the WHO World Mental Health Day campaign will showcase their efforts as an inspiration to others.
Visit the WHO's World Mental Health Day website for campaign information, resources and testimonials.
Mental Health Injuries and Health-Care Workers
Source: Workplace Safety & Insurance Board of Ontario
In the health-care sector from 2020 to 2022, mental disorders or syndromes are the 3rd leading injury type in teams of average days lost per claim.
The total number of mental stress claims in the health-care sector has increased 176 per cent from 2017 to 2022.
Health care is the leading sector in mental stress claims, with over twice as many claims as the next leading sector in 2022.
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