Mental Health Week

Running Head: MENTAL HEALTH WEEK
Mental Health Week
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Mental Health Week
Introduction
World Mental Health Day was initially celebrated on 10 October 1992. World mental
health day was started as yearly activity of the World Federation for Mental health by Richard
Hunter, the then Deputy secretary of the organization. World mental health day is officially
celebrated each year on October 10th. It should be noted that initially, world mental health day
had no specific or particular theme. Moreover, the aims were based on promotion of mental
health advocacy as well as educating people on pertinent issues. During the first three years since
the inception of the day, one of the significant activities to mark the day was a telecast
broadcasted globally for two hours via the United States of America information satellite agency
from the Tallahassee studio in Florida (Canada Newswire, 2019). World federation for Mental
Health board members took part in the celebration from the studio with live telephone
participation from Zambia, England, Chile and Australia and segments which were pre-taped
were spread in Mexico City, Atlanta and Geneva.
A theme for the world mental health day was used for the first time in 1994 after a
suggestion from Eugene Brody (Canada Newswire, 2019). The first theme was enhancing
quality of services of mental health throughout the globe. It should be noted that various
feedbacks were received from 27 nations immediately after the campaign with key national
campaigns in England and Australia (Canada Newswire, 2019). The board members of the world
federation for mental health were very instrumental for coming up with the theme and arranging
the events. It should be noted that after three years the day had become vital occasion for the
interested organizations, committed persons and governments to arrange the program focusing
on the elements of mental healthcare (PR Newswire, 2018). This paper will discuss objectives of

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mental health week, the role of government in mental health week, engaging communities in
mental health week and the role of media in mental health promotion.
The objective of mental health week
Mental health week is a national week which is celebrated every year in October around
world mental health day on October 10. The aim of the initiative is to enhance public interest and
awareness in mental wellbeing and health (Director, 2018).
The role of government and non-governmental organization in mental health
Mental health is described as the state of wellbeing in which every person recognizes his
or her potential, can cope or cope with the normal stresses of life, can effectively and
productively operate, as well as is able to make a contribution to his or her people or community.
When an individual has a condition, which impacts his or her mental health, his or she may have
a mental health disorder or mental illness which includes conditions like anxiety, bipolar
disorder, schizophrenia and depression. In Australia, the policy and medical framework for
mental health services is an intricate mixture of private and public systems having funding
shared between the territory, state and Australian government, and private and individual’s
health insurers.
The national survey of mental wellbeing and health of the Australian Bureau of statistics
offers the most detailed approximates for mental health disorders in the Australian adults.
According to the survey, it is approximated that over 45% of the individuals in the country have
experienced a mental illness in their lifetime with over 23% experiencing a mental illness in the
previous year. In 2014, a report done by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of
Psychiatrists approximated that the cost of severe mental disorder was about 57 billion annually

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which indicated the direct economic costs of adverse mental disorder originating form the use of
health as well as other services while the indirect costs were because of the loss of productivity
as people become unable to productively work.
The government plays a leadership role in policy-making in mental health, funding and
research issues. The territories and states deliver public and psychiatric healthcare services and a
broad range of public and community health services. The division of responsibilities and roles
in mental health systems in Australia with services being offered and funded by the government,
territory and state government and the non-government and private sectors (Ali, 2016). Territory
and state governments normally fund as well as deliver community sector services of mental
health which offer specialist care for individuals with serious mental health disorders. The
specialist care entail specialized mental health which is delivered in community psychiatric and
acute healthcare settings, territory and state specialized community mental health care services,
as well as territory and state specialized homecare mental health care services. Moreover,
territories and states offer other mental health-particular services in the local settings like
supported social housing and accommodation programs. The government finances an array of
mental health linked services via Medicare Benefits Schedule as well as the pharmaceutical
Benefits scheme and the repatriation pharmaceutical benefits scheme. The government also
finances several mainstream services and programs that offer vital support for individuals with
mental illness. Such services entail community and social support (Ali, 2016), services for the
disability, housing assistance, as well as workforce participation programs.
Services offered by the private sectors include admitting an individual in a private mental
health institutions and private services offered by the psychologists, psychiatrists and other
medical professionals.