Artigenda
World Mental Health Day
When: Annually, 10 October.
October 10 is both World Mental Health Day (or International Mental Health Day) and Dutch National Mental Health Day. Both days have existed since the 1990s.
Origin
World Mental Health Day (English: World Mental Health Day) is an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO). With this day, the organisation calls attention to awareness of mental health care and mental health problems worldwide. It also asks WHO to make every effort to increase efforts to improve healthcare in this area. More than 150 countries worldwide are marking the day and have been doing so since 1992.
The day was an initiative of Richard Hunter. At the time, he had been appointed deputy secretary-general of the WHO. From 1994, the day featured a special theme.
More information on International Mental Health Day or World Mental Health Day can be found via this website.
The Netherlands
In the Netherlands, October 10 is National Mental Health Day. The day is, of course, tangentially related to the international day. Many national organisations pay attention to this day and they all do so in their way. It is a time to make people aware of the opportunities available for seeking help and breaking taboos in this area. They also want to remove certain prejudices.
