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World Mental Health Day campaign:
Last year’s World Mental Health Day in October, inaugurated a year–long campaign by the World Federation for Mental Health [WFMH] to draw attention to multicultural issues in mental health care.
It is estimated that one–in–35 people is an international migrant, three per cent of the global population. Within countries also the movement of population groups for economic reasons or because of violence and unrest has created special demands in their areas of settlement. Many migrants have congregated in cities where mental health services need to provide information in multiple languages and address cultural diversity in treatment.
The start of the World Mental Health Day campaign was recognised by the United Nations [UN] Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, who issued the following statement:
“We live in a culturally interconnected world. Formerly distant people now compete for the same resources as they struggle to maintain their own cultures or fit into new ones. Dramatically different languages, religions and cultures coexist in a single country, or even in single communities. Dislocation from native communities, rejection by the host community and difficulties in adapting to the cultural norms of the host society are intensely stressful, and can contribute to mental illness in those who are vulnerable. How can we overcome the barriers of cultural differences? We need to use approaches that incorporate cultural backgrounds and beliefs, address language barriers, and create culturally sensitive forms of dialogue. We need to incorporate cultural sensitivity in training, social policy and service provision.”
WFMH launched the World Mental Health Day campaign in October with a programme on multicultural issues in North and South America at the Pan American Health Organization in Washington, DC. On the same day the UN non–governmental organisation [NGO] Committee on Mental Health held a similar programme in New York. Later in the month WFMH held a conference on multicultural mental health in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where there is a large and diverse international community.
After 15 years, World Mental Health Day is well established as an opportunity for public education in Western countries. News from more distant places shows that international participation in the event continues to grow, using either the WFMH campaign theme for the year, or local issues in mental health advocacy. For example, China’s Vice Minister in the Health Ministry spoke at a World Mental Health Day event about the need for public education and for increased services at the local level. An address by Brunei’s Health Minister combined the WFMH theme with the need for early treatment. In Gambia the World Health Organization and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare combined the theme with development of the country’s mental health policy.
Unexpected partnerships have developed. This year the Carter Center Mental Health Program, which is led by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and based in Atlanta in the United States, joined with the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights headed by Norway’s former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, and with the South Africa Depression and Anxiety Group for an initiative aimed at mental health organisations, advocacy networks, professionals and journalists in Johannesburg and Cape Town on 9–11 October. The events focused on increasing awareness about mental health issues and fighting stigma and discrimination in South Africa.
News about programmes at the grassroots level in less developed countries is especially welcome. One example came from Dili in East Timor, where the NGO Psychosocial Recovery and Development in East Timor [Pradet] organised an educational seminar, lunch and activities for its clients to observe World Mental Health Day.
Infolink: The WFMH was founded in 1948. It is the only global grassroots advocacy and public education organisation in the field of mental health. For further information contact: WFMH, 6564 Loisdale Court, Suite 301, Springfield, VA 22150-1812, USA. Telephone: [1] 703 313 8680. Fax: [1] 703 313 8683. Email: info@wfmh.com. Website: www.wfmh.org.
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