For September’s blog post, I talked about National Suicide Prevention Month, National Suicide Prevention Week, and World Suicide Prevention Day. As we move into October, I want to highlight some other observances that are related to suicide prevention. One major note here, however: ANYONE can have suicidal thoughts and be impacted by suicide. Although some suicides can be linked to a diagnosed mental illness, that should not be the go-to assumption. As we think about mental health as a whole, connections can be made between mental health and suicide, so that is why I am choosing to highlight some of these events that go beyond suicide prevention.
World Mental Health Day is held every year on October 10th and has been around since the 1990s. Several different organizations promote it, and I present a few of them here.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes October 10th as World Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme is: “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality”. You can find more information here:
The World Federation for Mental Health also observes October 10th as World Mental Health Day, and their theme is: “Mental Health in an Unequal World”. More information can be found here:
In addition to World Mental Health Day, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is observing Mental Illness Awareness Week, including the following dates:
- Tuesday Oct. 5: National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding
- Thursday Oct. 7: National Depression Screening Day
- Saturday Oct. 9: NAMIWalks United Day of Hope
- Sunday Oct. 10: World Mental Health Day
You can learn more about this week and these different days by going to:
I hope you will take a look at these websites and learn more about both mental illness and mental health.
Like I said last month about suicide prevention, the best part about this information is that there is hope that one day there will be no suicides or mental illness. Please join me in working towards that day.