The Professional Board for Psychology commemorates World Mental Health Awareness Month. The theme adopted by the World Health Organisation for this year is: “Mental health is a universal human right”.
Mental Health Day is commemorated on 10 October. For its part, the Professional Board of Psychology is alert to the challenges faced by persons living with mental illness and is on board to help raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.
It is estimated that more than 400 million people worldwide suffer some form of mental illness. Stigma and discrimination emanating from ignorance and lack of knowledge remain a source of concern. It is against this backdrop that the Board is committed to continuing to advocate for improved access to mental health services to create awareness and educate the public to better understand different mental illnesses including neurological disorders and psychological problems.
Considering the ample social hardships that many encounter in different aspects of our society, people must be of sound mental well-being as much as they need to be in good physical health. While there are channels and systems in place to help individuals, there are evident gaps in the system mainly due to limited resources, rendering mental health services largely inaccessible particularly to poor and vulnerable communities. Therefore, the Board’s campaign is geared toward educating and creating awareness amongst the public about facilities and services that are available to them.
The spotlight is firmly on mental health matters at this time of the year, and this provides a platform for relevant stakeholders such as the government – through the Departments of Health and Social Development respectively, civil society formations, non-profit organisations, the private sector and the public to collectively engage in dialogue to find lasting solutions.
The Board’s objective is to see issues concerning mental health always at the forefront, dominating public discourse and more done to mobilise the required expertise and resources because mental health is a universal human right.
The Professional Board for Psychology
Last Updated on 9 October 2023 by HPCSA Corporate Affairs