News > World Mental Health Day: 10th October 2009

Created: 2009-08-02 17:44:38

Observed on 10 October every year since 1992 the purpose of World Mental Health Day is to educate the public about relevant issues concerning mental health. For 2009, the theme is 'Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health'.

There is growing evidence of the positive effects to overall wellbeing of integrating healthcare services with the promotion of mental health.

This year’s World Mental Health Day acts as a call for action to make this knowledge accessible to stakeholders at every level, from service users to policy makers. 

The aim, essentially, is to ensure that people living with mental illness receive the same level of priority within the general and primary health care system as their counterparts.

The 2009 World Mental Health Day campaign, an initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, will bring attention to mental health in primary care.