The annual World Mental Health Day is marked each year to spread knowledge and awareness about mental health. The international topic for 2021 is mental health in an unequal world, with the slogan “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality”.
Some high-income countries have, after being able to vaccinate most of their population, officially reopened after the Covid-19 pandemic. Many people are once again able to socialize with people they have not seen for a long time, throw away their face masks, and not least - hug each other! But the pandemic is far from over. Several low- and mid-income countries are still fighting the pandemic, and a large amount of the world’s population is still living under strict social restrictions.
There is no doubt that months of social distancing, a limited number of close contacts, home office, isolation and few social events have affected us greatly. Without being able to see family and friends for a long time, og being social through hobbies and sports, many have dealt with loneliness for the first time in their lives.
The health systems worldwide have not yet responded adequately to the burden of mental health conditions, neither before nor after covid. The demand for mental health services has increased during the pandemic, yet at the same time the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide (WHO). As a consequence, the gap between the need for treatment and the supply is wide all over the world. WHO also reports that between 76% and 85% of people with mental health conditions in low- and middle-income countries, do not receive treatment for their mental health conditions. An additional problem is the poor quality of treatment that many people with mental health conditions receives.
We appreciate that the focus on mental health conditions has been highlighted during this pandemic. However, it is not only during global pandemics that life can be experienced as extra difficult. Around 20% of the world’s children and adolescent, and approximately one in five people in post-conflict settings, have a mental health condition. Mental health conditions can have a substantial effect on all areas of life, such as school or work performance, relationships with family and friends and ability to participate in the community. It may also be worth mentioning that the global median of government health expenditure that goes to mental health is less than 2% (WHO).
CheckWare strongly supports hospitals and clinics offering digital health care services to their patients and service users, and our vision is that patients worldwide will receive better care and improved health care outcomes through digital health services. We are happy to see that our customers, which are hospitals, health trusts and clinics, everyday are attentive, present and follow up for a better mental health among the world’s population.
We want it to be easier to share thoughts and to talk about one's own mental health. It is equally important that you get support are not met with prejudice when you choose to talk about your mental health. We all have a shared responsibility to build good mental health in our environment by including, listening, and showing how valuable we are to each other.
Therefore, on World Mental Health Day, but also every other day of the year, we encourage everyone to:
Be aware, be present and to follow up.
References:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders