~World Mental Health Day Report 2000~
Reports from the Countries
ARGENTINA
Most provinces celebrated World Mental Health Day. The Psychologists Association of Buenos Aires Province organized local celebrations. In Rosario and Cordoba mental health congresses were held. At the Cordoba meeting planning began for further regional collaboration involving Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. The organization Mental Health and Society will carry forward this years theme in a MERCOSUR sub-regional conference early next year.
ARMENIA
The UK Ambassador attended a ceremony to recognize an innovative employment project for (ex-) users which has support from two organizations in England, the Hamlet Trust and the Mental Health Foundation.
AUSTRALIA
Under a contract with the Federal Government, the Mental Health Council of Australia organized a nationwide campaign on mental health and work which involved not only the mental health sector but employers and employment agencies. A network of more than 80 organizations participated. World Mental Health Day 2000 was launched with a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra on 9 October attended by the Commonwealth Minister for Health and Aged Care, Dr. Michael Wooldridge. The launch was accompanied by a national media campaign for newspapers, radio and television, and a public education campaign for which 20,000 information posters and 12,000 postcards were printed. As part of the project an imaginative new national mental health logo was adopted – the Flannel flower, a resilient flower native to the Australian bush, where plants need to be adaptable and enduring to survive. This flowers petals have a soft, silky, fuzzy texture, and so it is a mental health symbol that quite literally “feels good.”
AUSTRIA
Pro Mente Austria held its annual conference on 10 October 2000 on the theme of de-stigmatization and social exclusion, noting its relevance to workplace issues. Pro Mente Upper Austria organized a media campaign that included a special supplement in a major national newspaper.
BELGIUM
World Mental Health Day was chosen by four organizations ( Fondation Nationale Reine Fabiola pour la Sante Mentale, Les Ligues Wallonne et Bruxelloise Francophone pour la Sante Mentale, Vlaamse Vereiniging voor Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg, and Fondation Julie Renson) for a press conference to introduce Belgium’s 2001 “Year of Mental Health.”
BOLIVIA
The Psychiatric Institute San Juan de Dios in Cochabamba had a local program which included outreach to factories and the preparation of a video for young people.
CANADA
Canadas program benefits from initiatives led by the Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health. The central event for World Mental Health Day this year was a three-day conference in Calgary, Alberta, on The Bottom Line: The impact of mental illness on workplace and community. This was the largest World Mental Health Day program so far, with planning led by the Alberta Mental Health Board, the City of Calgary and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. It had presentations by several CEOs including the President and General Manager, General Motors of Canada. It covered many aspects of workplace health from the viewpoints of managers, trade unions, individual workers including consumers, and families.
In Toronto a leading community college, the countrys largest psychiatric treatment center, the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, and various business organizations met to examine mental health and work issues. In Ottawa the Royal Hospital and the Center for Addiction and Mental Health sponsored a discussion focussed on business and mental health.
Among other activities we would like to note those arranged by the Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association of Saskatchewan, and by Clinical Nurse Specialist Susan Quinn in Saint John, New Brunswick.
CHILE
As in previous years the Mental Health Unit of the Ministry of Health promoted World Mental Health Day in the countrys thirteen regions and twenty-five provinces, distributing the WFMH Spanish-language planning kits to local organizers.
CYPRUS
This years event was a tree-planting ceremony, and leaflets were printed with information on mental health at work.
EGYPT
A series of meetings was arranged during October in collaboration with the WFMH Eastern Mediterranean Regional Council. The first, on mental health in workplaces and on community mental health, was held in Cairo on 12 October with the support of the Cairo University Nursing Faculty, the Giza Mental Health Association and the Arab Federation of NGOs for the Prevention of Substance Abuse. On 14 October a conference was held at El Azayem Hospital on the prevention of mental disabilities. On 17 October a meeting on the mental health of working rural women was held in Giza Governorate. On 25 October a conference on the prevention of substance abuse in workplaces was held with the support of Pride Egypt. Topics included detection of substance abuse among transport workers and car drivers, and information was presented by the Egyptian Transport Association about screening of new employees. On 26 October a meeting on depression in the workplace, held in Alexandria, was followed by a training course on the management of epilepsy in the workplace. Three meetings about substance abuse were organized for students in Cairo, Alexandria and Monofia.
FINLAND
World Mental Health Day was observed by local mental health associations around the country. The Finnish National Mental Health Association reported that this year’s theme was one of the most topical it has addressed. It published a special issue of its magazine with articles on different ways to avoid stress and burnout. The annual award for Mental Health Deed of the Year was given to four municipalities which are supporting an NGO project to initiate mental health policies at the grassroots level. In addition, the Association urged people to join its neighborhood help project, which is designed to revive the spirit of friendly, caring neighborhoods and uses the symbol of a wedge of geese flying together in formation.
GEORGIA
The Georgia Mental Health Association sponsored various events including a meeting on employment opportunities for users, an important issue in this former Soviet republic where unemployment is very high.
GERMANY
Landesverband Psychosozialer Hilfsvereinigungen reported various World Mental Health Day events in Germany.
GUATEMALA
The weekly radio program Mejores Dias (Better Days) run by the Guatemalan Mental Health League dedicated the 7 October broadcast to World Mental Health Day.
HONG KONG
For each of the past seven years the Hong Kong government has funded a program by the organization New Life. The event in 2000 brought together corporate officers and employee assistance professionals for a full-day seminar on mental health in the workplace. Meanwhile, Executive Director Deborah Wan Lai Yau attended the conference and symposium at ILO headquarters in Geneva, and will use information she obtained there in planning the program for 2001.
ICELAND
The first report received at the WFMH Secretariat after 10 October came from Iceland. The organization GEDHJALP kicked off its mental health promotion project Gedraekt with a full day of events on World Mental Health Day. These included a press conference, open houses at various locations, and a march from Hallgrimskirkja, a leading church in Rejkavik, to the city hall, where a rally was held. The marchers held brown paper bags over their heads to symbolize the stigma and silence surrounding mental illness, and burned the bags on a bonfire in front of the city hall. The organizers reported the march and rally got great media coverage.
INDIA
The Indian Psychiatric Society branch in Kerala reported activities in all parts of the state, and particularly noted a program at the Indian Aluminium Company’s plant in Cochin, where company managing directors and trade union leaders led an interactive session on workers problems. The issues covered included exploitation of child workers, alcoholism, depression and stigma in the workplace.
The College of Nursing in Ludhiana translated part of the planning kit into the local language, and held a series of sessions on work and mental health for patients, first year nursing students, and senior students and nursing staff.
In Karnataka on 9 October staff, faculty and students at Kasturba Hospital held a special event for patients and relatives, with food, prizes and a mental health education session. The College of Nursing at Manipal had a program on 10 October that covered the stress experienced by health professionals, and also gender bias in work settings. Faculty and students presented a play which illustrated the stress inherent in different occupational settings, and its impact on individuals at work and at home. The drama also incorporated coping skills and other remedial measures to address the problems. A scientific session followed, covering these issues and the stigma experienced by mentally ill people in the workplace. In addition, the problem of child labor was discussed.
IRELAND
The national campaign of the Mental Health Association of Ireland focused on education about stress and depression in the workplace. The Irish Business Employers Confederation and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions both supported the campaign, and there was excellent press coverage. The MHAI distributed 50,000 leaflets to local mental health associations as part of its grassroots outreach effort, and devoted the Winter 2000 issue of its magazine Mensana News to the theme. Many events were organized by the local associations to draw public attention to work issues.
ITALY
The City of Florence, in conjunction with the National Association for Mental Health and the local Health Policy Division, held a multi-faceted awareness week with outreach to neighboring cities including Prato, Trento, and Livorno.
KENYA
The Mental Health Department of the Health Ministry worked from July on a broad-based campaign for World Mental Health Day on mental health and work, with activities at national, provincial, district and local levels. The planning committee of fifteen included representatives from other government departments including Education, Labor, Culture and Social Services.
Its outreach efforts targeted youth, community and religious leaders, employers and employees, and trade unions. In addition to the annual “National Event,” public rallies and processions were held around the country. Of note: planning included tours of mental health institutions for policy-makers and “open days” at them for the general public.
Kakuma refugee camp. Under the direction of mental health coordinator Michael Kamau, a week-long program was conducted at this large refugee camp in northwest Kenya which serves people who have fled from Sudan. More than 200 people participated, of whom about 60% were consumers.
KUWAIT
The Ministries of Public Health, Education and the Interior, together with the Social Welfare Office, collaborated to arrange World Mental Health Day events on 10 and 11 October to raise public awareness. A one and a half-day seminar was held for professionals from government offices, covering many topics related to mental health and work. WFMH material was translated, and posters were displayed in the Ministries, hospitals, at the university, and in schools. An exhibition was arranged at the Social Welfare Office headquarters, and brief training courses were held at its branches. The Director General of the Social Welfare Office gave a radio interview about WFMH and World Mental Health Day, while the head of its Communication Department gave a TV interview on the same topics. Press coverage spanned three days.
The Hospital for Psychological Medicine arranged a special program for its nursing staff.
MALAWI
About a thousand people attended a community celebration at the sports stadium in Mzuzu under the banner “Youth and Mental Health – A Challenge for the Nation.” The Minister of State for People with a Disability gave the keynote address; schools and community youth groups presented plays; entertainment was provided by the local army band, traditional dancers and a choir; and mental health professionals hosted a “question and answer” session for the audience. The rally was organized by St. John of God Mental Health Services, and supported by the City Council, local churches and schools, and the Malawi News Agency. The celebration was held on Saturday 14 October, as the weekend was the best time to gather a large crowd. On the following day various city churches included mental health in their Sunday liturgy. Our correspondent, Brother Aidan Clohessy, O.H., added that the local organizers had chosen a broad theme for the event “because mental health continues to be unrecognized and shrouded in stigma by the community…[which is] not quite ready for ‘mental health and work’ just yet.”
MONGOLIA
Gombodorjin Tsetsegdary, senior officer in the public health division of the Ministry of Health, reported that World Mental Health day was celebrated for the second year in Mongolia.
NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands Foundation for Mental Health in Utrecht has organized World Mental Health Day for four years, and now has about 40 organizations across the country involved in a national campaign. This year it focused particularly on depression in adolescence, and among other activities used an Internet chat room to reach young people. Planning for events in October 2001 has already begun.
NORWAY
The National Council for Mental Health was given a budget of more than Kr 5 million (US$555,000) to organize a countrywide campaign (up from Kr 2 million the previous year). Funding was distributed to each of the country’s 19 counties, and ten regional planning conferences were held. Two themes were chosen, work place issues and mental health and youth (the focus on youth is a national priority). Special magazines, brochures, posters and other materials were printed in large quantities, and activities were spread over a week, from 9 to 15 October. On the first day the Council held a high-level meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Employers’ Federation, and the country’s largest labor union. This led to a plan to develop a broader initiative on mental health in the workplace. The Council’s “Taboo Prize,” given for an effort to lift the taboos that often surround discussion of mental illness, was awarded to the family of a young man who committed suicide after learning he was homosexual. A year ago the prize was given to the Prime Minister for his frankness about an episode of depression he experienced.
PAKISTAN
The Pakistan Association for Mental Health had a week-long program which included a free Mental Health Camp on 8 October with seminars and an educational display. Dr. Uniaza Niaz gave a presentation on the importance of a holistic approach to the treatment of schizophrenia. Free blood tests and glucose monitoring were provided, and twenty-eight psychiatrists from all over the province of Sindh provided consultations for more than 465 people. Other activities included a seminar on mental health and work on 10 October, and a musical evening on 13 October. A booklet on mental health and work was published, and there was considerable press coverage.
PALAU
This year the organizers had to compete with local elections for media attention, but felt they achieved considerable success. The Republic of Palau once again used government paychecks in early October to send out a World Mental Health Day message. This year it read Good mental health is good business for everyone. The President signed the World Mental Health Day Proclamation, two messages were displayed on large billboards, a radio phone-in show was held, and articles appeared in the press. A candlelight vigil was organized, with an hour of addresses and singing (carried live over FM radio), followed by a reception given by the Palau Mental Health Council.
PARAGUAY
The President of Paraguay declared the Year 2000 to be Mental Health Year and 10 October to be the National Mental Health Day. The Ministry of Health and Welfare together with private organizations are giving a much higher profile to public education about mental health.
PHILIPPINES
The Philippine Mental Health Association observed the 50th anniversary of its founding with a week-long program which also celebrated World Mental Health Day, and included the first regional meeting of the WFMH Southeast Asia Region. The events were chaired by WFMH Regional Vice President Eva Gonzalez and organized by PMHA Executive Director Regina de Jesus. International guests included WFMH Secretary General Marten deVries and representatives from Cambodia, Japan, India, Malaysia, Mongolia and Thailand, who took part in a panel on working conditions and psycho-social interventions .
POLAND
The coordinators of the World Mental Health Day program in Poland, Maciej Palyska and Joanna Raduj from the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, reported an effective, decentralized campaign throughout the whole country involving hospitals, clinics, social aid centers, nursing schools, cultural institutions, etc. Many events were arranged for and by patients. Activities ranged from art shows and concerts to ceremonial lunches and dinners, and to discos, sports competitions and football matches. Several scientific conferences were held in different parts of the country. Media interest was high. The organizers noted the involvement of many volunteers, and support from non-medical sponsors such as banks. Their list of events and places is too long to reproduce here.
NEW ZEALAND
The Mental Health Foundation’s effort included a community campaign and an energetic use of media contacts which coincided with a Government-funded “Like Minds Like Mine” advertising campaign on TV. The National Project to Counter Stigma and Discrimination also used the WFMH theme, adopting the slogan “Mental Health is Your Business” and drawing support from the Employers Federation, the Manufacturers Federation, the Equal Employment Opportunities Trust, Career Services Rapuara, the Human Rights Commission, the Mental Health Commission and the Mental Health Foundation. The campaign told employers that it is in your interest to have a happy and healthy workplace, and urged them to implement good employment practices.
ROMANIA
The Romanian League for Mental Health organized a program on social issues that reached 11,000 working women.
SAINT LUCIA
The Governor General read the World Mental Health Day Proclamation on national television and radio. The local newspaper carried a message from the Health Minister highlighting public awareness events scheduled during October, and noting the launch of the St. Lucia Mental Health Association on 7 October. The press also carried coverage of many problems in the care of the mentally ill.
SLOVENIA
Users, parents and other volunteers collaborated to set up an information booth in Ljubljana. Other activities included a free showing of the film Shine at a local cinema.
SOUTH AFRICA
The South African Federation for Mental Health held a campaign to encourage a culture of positive recognition in the workplace. It concentrated on how employers and managers treat their workers. A wallet card was produced with tips for managers on how to give recognition to their employees on a regular basis and be considerate of their family life, with the aim of creating respect in the workplace and an atmosphere which reduces stress.
SPAIN
In Madrid the organization FEAFES INTERNACIONAL had an extensive program. The Asturian Association of Neuropsychiatry and Mental Health sent news of its panel session in Ovieda and the press coverage it received. In Lugo events were organized by the Galega Psychiatric Association and the Association of Mental Health Nurses.
SRI LANKA
More than 500 people attended a program arranged jointly by the Mental Health Society, the Association for Health and Counselling, the Wholistic Health Center, the Christian Family Service Center, the Rotary Club, and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Jaffna. The event included a speech, drama, dancing and music.
We also received copies of articles placed in the local press by a freelance journalist, Lankika de Livera Panditharatne. Sri Lanka has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and her immediate family has been affected. In her cover letter she wrote the following:
“Mental illnesses are looked down upon in this country and a relative of mine advised me not to write openly on these matters as it might be detrimental to me. For me however it only made my desire more intensive – to write as much as possible to bring awareness and to some extent, kill the terrible stigma that is attached to it.” In one of her articles she said “in our Asian Region the chaos the stigma has created for many people and their misery cannot be described in words. Ridicule, humiliation and unfair judgement have ruled the day….”
SWAZILAND
The Swaziland National Association for Mental Health took the initiative in organizing a Steering Committee for the Day’s events, including representatives from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the local WHO office, the National Psychiatric Centre, the Anti Alcohol and Drugs Association, and also from the police, youth groups, the trade union movement, the Employers’ Federation, and the Transport Operators Association. On 9 October the country’s First Lady, Inkhosikati Lahwala, addressed the nation on television about the importance of the World Mental Health Day theme. On the following day the Minister of Health and Social Welfare opened a workshop funded by WHO which examined common mental health problems, including those arising from HIV/AIDS which are of great concern in this region.As an outcome of the meeting the Ministry acknowledged the need for it to establish a section specifically devoted to mental health, and to develop a national policy and strategic plan. Another outcome was a new program developed by the Association for major employers on workplace mental health and the use of employee assistance programs.
THAILAND
The Department of Psychiatry in the Medical School of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok arranged a public education meeting. The radio channel of the Ministry of Public Health had a related program, and there was also coverage in health magazines.
TONGA
On the Pacific island of Tonga, where the Day was observed for the first time, the Ministry of Health noted the importance of workplace mental health and also that much of the worlds essential work is done outside the workplace, in managing and caring for the home and family. Princess Nanasipauu Tukuaho was guest of honor and speaker at a special conference on 10 October which was also addressed by the Health Minister. Radio and TV programs were presented on the evenings of 10, 11 and 12 October.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
The government health authorities arranged activities at St. Anns Psychiatric Hospital and other locations. A youth forum was held, and several radio and TV programs were broadcast.
TURKEY
Local activities were organized by Prof. Bulent Coskun and colleagues. Prof. Coskun was director of the country’s mental health department for six years and is now head of psychiatry at Kocaeli University Medical Faculty.
UNITED KINGDOM
A special mental health campaign was launched in London, under the auspices of the National Health Service, the Department of Health and the Greater London Authority. Over 250,000 leaflets were distributed and 20,000 posters displayed, asking people to view mental health as an issue that concerns everyone, and to ask for help if it is needed. On London buses 1,800 advertisements were placed featuring the personal stories of individuals who have dealt with mental health problems.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists launched a new public information firm, “1 in 4,” which challenges perceptions about mental illness.
URUGUAY
National Mental Health Day was observed on 10 October with a meeting at the Ministry of Public Health attended by the Director of Occupational Health and the General Director for Health. WFMH Regional Vice President Paulo Alterwain was the moderator. A month-long program of events was held, including a meeting on mental health and work with the participation of the Uruguayan Association of Medicine and Work (this was part of the First Congress of Social Psychiatry).
VENEZUELA
Spanish-language planning kits were distributed to local organizers. For example, the Regional Health Department in Maracaibo organized an outreach program.
ZAMBIA
World Mental Health Week was launched on 3 October with a broadcast from the Minister of Health, David Mpamba, on radio and television. In Lusaka a National Debate was held on 7 October, with sponsorship from the local WHO offices and the Central Board of Health. In the town of Livingstone an innovative effort was made to improve awareness of issues in government offices. Volunteer mental health professionals held education sessions at various government institutions, including the Cabinet office (46 people attended), the police (126 people), the passport and registration office (41), Zambia telecommunications (25), and the prison service (10 senior officers). Transport was a limiting factor, and many of the volunteers had to walk some distance to hold their assigned sessions in offices away from the town center. On 10 October the weeks Main Event was held, with a march through town, dancing and drama performances.
ZIMBABWE
The Zimbabwe National Association for Mental Health (ZIMNAMH) applied for and received $2,000 from the WHO country office to launch a public awareness program about workplace stress and about the exploitation of child labor. Significantly, the organizers targeted not only the formal sector but the informal sector, which is of great importance in African economies. A central event drew support from government officials, chiefs, traditional and faith healers, and also personnel managers and occupational safety officials. ZIMNAMHs director, Elizabeth Matare, is visiting each of the countrys provinces to continue the campaign.