World Mental Health Day 2020 – Saturday 10th October
This year’s World Mental Health Day comes at a time where people all around the globe are experiencing the unprecedented impact of the current global health emergency, where the daily lives of millions have changed considerably.
The past months have brought many challenges to us all in different ways and those with mental health conditions have been experiencing even greater social isolation than before.
According to research by charity, Mind, with over 16,000 people, more than half of adults (60%) and over two thirds of young people (68%) said their mental health got worse during lockdown. We know that many have developed new mental health problems as a result of the pandemic and, for some, existing mental health problems have gotten worse.
The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, both economic and individual will be felt long after it is gone; thus, it is expected that the need for mental health support will substantially increase in the coming months and years.
The limited access to quality, affordable mental health care in the world before the pandemic has been further diminished due to COVID-19, as the pandemic has disrupted health services around the world.
The goal of this year’s Mental Health Day campaign is increased investment to help fund programmes at national and international levels.
Mind, a mental health charity, are urging people to ‘do one thing’ for better mental health this World Mental Health Day, whether that be taking the first steps to getting support for yourself, reaching out to someone else or doing something simple that makes you happy.
Mental Health in Construction
Recent statistics show suicide as the biggest killer of construction workers under the age of 45, with male site workers three times more likely to take their own life than the average male in the UK.
Construction is an industry with high pressures, and people can be more likely to experience work-related stress than average.
This is a problem that – as an industry – we need to take responsibility for and consider what can be put in place to help with prevention.
In recent years things are changing, more and more businesses in the industry are recognising and prioritising their employee’s mental health, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Talking has the power to change lives so, however you do it, choose to take five minutes out of your day to talk to your colleagues about mental health today.
Resources
More on World Mental Health Day from Charity, Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/world-mental-health-day-2020/
Mental Health Helplines : https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/