Overview:
Mental health is a balanced development of an individual’s personality and emotional attitude which enables them to live harmoniously with their fellow beings. Mental health is a vital part of our overall well-being, yet it’s often misunderstood or ignored. It affects our emotions, thoughts, and social interactions, shaping how we handle stress, build relationships, make decisions, and enjoy life. When our mental health is strong, we can navigate life’s challenges more effectively. But when it’s not, it can impact every part of our lives, from personal and professional relationships to our ability to manage daily tasks and even our physical health.
Why Mental Health is important for overall well-being?
Mental health is as essential as physical health for overall well-being. Although physical health issues are often easier to identify, mental health problems can be less apparent and may lead to serious health consequences. For instance, depression can increase the risk of developing physical conditions like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. To maintain overall well-being, it’s important to take care of both mental and physical health
The widespread presence of Mental Health Issues
Mental health issues are far more common than many people realize. Conditions like anxiety, depression, and stress affect millions of people around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that a large number of people suffer from mental illnesses each year, but only a small percentage get the treatment they need. This gap is often due to the stigma around mental health, which discourages people from reaching out for help. According to the WHO health report, mental illnesses impact 19% of adults, 46% of teenagers, and 13% of children each year. The person struggling with their mental health could be a family member, a neighbour, a co-worker, a friend, or anyone you know
Mental Health Awareness
Mental health awareness campaigns have produced positive results. Some effective strategies to raise awareness and tackle stigma include involving family members, educating people about treatment options, and promoting social inclusion. However, a lack of knowledge about mental illnesses continues to be a challenge for delivering effective mental health care.
Mental health literacy is an important concept that measures how well people understand and are aware of mental health disorder.
Few activities that should be highlighted as they mostly leads to improvement in our mental health:
Exercise, which promotes physical activity while keeping us busy it reduces our stress and depression.
Moving forward, we have come into the habit of skipping our Sleep Schedule but less we know that our mood improves as we get enough quality sleep.
Healthy diet always steals the show, as it decreases anxiety and releases harmones that makes us feel better.
Gratitude is a practice that has been taught in almost all the communities and religion but as we grow we stop showing it to the ones who matters us the most. Gratitude helps us recognise positive emotions which leads us to lead our life peacefully.
Apple* introduced us to practice Mindfullness on a greater platform which helps us to pay attention to the present moment which eventually leads us to enjoy our life and understand ourselves better.
*the i-phone brand
Potential Roadmap for Awareness
We expect that most of the contributions to awareness will come from the following five platforms
Conventional Media
Conventional media has made us more open to discussing mental health issues, breaking down barriers, and encouraging more honest conversations. It encourages us when the celebrities openly shares their mental health struggles in front of a large audience. It highlights the importance of speaking up if you feel like you’re struggling with your mental health and need help
Government Programs
Despite the limited funding in the mental health sector, the government is making efforts to organize mental health programs by partnering with both private and alternative care providers in a supportive manner
Educational system
The education system plays a key role in raising mental health awareness by integrating mental health topics into the curriculum, training educators to support students, and creating open spaces for discussion. Schools can provide on-site counselling services, run awareness campaigns, and foster a supportive environment through anti-bullying programs. Engaging parents in mental health education and promoting healthy habits further supports students’ well-being. These efforts collectively help to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and ensure students receive the support they need.
Industry
The organized sector experiences a substantial loss of effective workforce due to mental health issues. To maintain productivity and fulfil corporate social responsibility, it is crucial to actively engage in mental health awareness efforts
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing boosts mental health awareness by using collective input to gather various viewpoints, fund projects, and spread information widely. It enables people and organizations to work together on initiatives like awareness campaigns or research, and quickly mobilize resources. By involving a large audience, crowdsourcing can amplify messages, raise visibility, and support creative solutions in mental health.
Conclusion
Over many years, underdeveloped countries have not been very successful in the earlier strategies to improve mental health. Now it is time to adopt a fresh approach with innovative ideas with an energetic approach to address this issue and to increase Mental Awareness. Combining evidence-based government policies, active media involvement, a dynamic education system, responsive industries, innovative use of new technologies, and creative crowdsourcing can help tackle the challenges of mental illness and drive positive change