October 10th is celebrated as World Mental Health Day. Set by the World Federation for Mental Health, the theme for 2016 is “Psychological First Aid and the Support People Can Provide for Those in Distress.”
World Mental Health Day was first celebrated in 1992 and was initiated by the World Federation for Mental Health. This international mental health organization has members and contacts in over 150 countries, Guyana being one of them. On this day, every October, large groups of persons engage in raising awareness and support for persons suffering from mental illness.
The activities on this day are geared towards focusing on basic pragmatic psychological support by persons who are in the role of public service or assistance. These could include health care workers, teachers, community workers, police officers, etc.
The theme for this year focuses on Psychological First-Aid, however the name might seem as a misnomer considering the fact that it actually covers both psychological and social support. When treating any patient in health care, one does not just treat physically but socially as well. It is known that you do not just treat an illness, you treat a patient and a patient’s disposition is multi -factorial.
Just that way, when dealing with a mental health concern, it is not fair to just deal with the mental illness or only psychological first aid. It is true that the investment in psychological first aid is part of a longer term effort to ensure that anyone in acute distress due to a crisis is able to receive the help that they need as soon as they can. Additionally, it ensures that those who require more than just the psychological first aid will receive all the added help that they need from health, mental health and social services.
