GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Thursday 10 October marks World Mental Health Day around the world. Mental health is a universal human right underscoring the importance of ensuring everyone has the right to access quality mental health care and support.
The 2024 theme is “Mental Health at Work.”
This World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is uniting with partners to highlight the vital connection between mental health and work.
“Safe, healthy working environments can act as a protective factor for mental health. Unhealthy conditions including stigma, discrimination, and exposure to risks like harassment and other poor working conditions, can pose significant risks, affecting mental health, overall quality of life and consequently participation or productivity at work.
“With 60% of the global population in work, urgent action is needed to ensure work prevents risks to mental health and protects and supports mental health at work.
“It is essential for governments, employers, the organizations which represent workers and employers, and other stakeholders responsible for workers’ health and safety to work together to improve mental health at work.
“Action to address mental health at work should be done with the meaningful involvement of workers and their representatives, and persons with lived experience of mental health conditions.
“By investing efforts and resources in evidence-based approaches and interventions at work, we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive at work and in life. Let’s take action today for a healthier future,” the WHO said.
Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well, and work well, and contribute to their community. Mental health is a basic human right.
Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department from the Sint Maarten Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, says creating awareness about mental health is part of CPS’ annual calendar of health observances.
For persons who need support, the Sint Maarten Mental Health Organization (MHF) provides psychiatric care services to the population of the country. Its mission includes prevention to mitigate as much as possible the negative impact of mental disorders on individual’s wellbeing and on society.
For general information on mental health issues, you can call 542-1677 or for a mental health crisis, you can call the crisis line 520-5556 which will be answered by a professional and it’s confidential.
For more information, you can call CPS 542-1570 or 914.
