Depression becomes a global crisis: World Mental Health Day marked today

World Mental Health Day, which is supported by the United Nations (UN), is annually held on October 10 to raise public awareness about mental health issues worldwide.

It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries.

This event promotes open discussions on illnesses, as well as investments in prevention and treatment services.

This year's theme is "Depression: A Global Crisis."

Stress, particularly chronic stress, can be a risk factor for depression, so this is something that may be more of a risk than we may think, for ourselves and our loved ones.

Depression affects more than 350 million people of all ages, in all communities, and is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. Although there are known effective treatments for depression, access to treatment is a problem in most countries and in some countries fewer than 10% of those who need it receive such treatment.

Mental health services lack human and financial resources in many countries, particularly low and middle income countries. More funding is needed to promote mental health to increase people’s awareness of the issue.