Mental health matters, and getting access to effective care is crucial. The World Mental Health Day is held on the 10th of October each year, and each year has different agendas. The world is starting to recognize that most people deal with mental health issues, but the stigma and ignorance around the subject affect how they receive treatment.

A large percentage of people suffer from mental illnesses but may not come forward to get the help they need. A person that seems physically fit but suffers because of their mental illness may decide not to get help because they assume people will treat them differently. Sometimes, medical professionals may assume the person is imagining the symptoms or exaggerating them. The thought of everybody dismissing the difficulties a mentally ill person has or even ostracizing them causes most people to avoid getting the help they need until it is too late.

The World Mental Health Day ensures that people are aware of how mental illness can affect their lives, starting from home life, to personal relations, and even in the workplace. The day is meant to create awareness to the larger percentage of people that do not receive adequate and effective care. Statistics show that most BIPOC communities have many people with untreated mental illnesses or do not receive effective treatment. It continues to affect their lives tremendously.

The day is important because it destigmatizes mental illnesses and allows more people to feel free and get help when their mental health is being affected. Raising awareness that speaking to a licensed therapist or asking for help from close family members and friends is not anything to be ashamed of is an important goal for the day. The day also ensures that people around the globe know how to help the people close to them that are dealing with mental health issues. Information is provided on how to help people without judging them or making them feel responsible for how their mental illnesses affect their lives.

World Mental Health Day is a day that educates people on how to stop social stigma and encourages sensitivity for people dealing with mental illnesses. Most people treat mental illnesses as an issue that should never be discussed. This happens in most black, indigenous, and people of color communities. Creating awareness on how to let people speak up when they are faced with symptoms is the best way to ensure more people get diagnosed properly, get access to effective treatment, and receive the support they need to get through the hard times when their mental illness causes difficulties in their lives.

Most mental illnesses are lifelong issues, which means that stigmatizing a person suffering from such conditions could cause them to become depressed. The World Mental Health Day is to recognize how to help instead of ignoring the issue. When ignored, most people with mental illnesses resort to harmful behavior such as indulging in substance use or other behaviors. Realizing when a friend, family member, or colleague is suffering from mental illness can help ensure that they get timely and effective treatment.