Living with schizophrenia: October 10 marks World Mental Health Day
Since 1992, the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have marked October 10 as the annual date for World Mental Health Day, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. The theme for 2014 is “Living with schizophrenia”. The focus of the World Health Organization will be living a healthy life with schizophrenia. One in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide, says WHO. Around 26 million people worldwide are affected by schizophrenia, the Organization says. Despite being a treatable disorder, more than half of people diagnosed with schizophrenia are unable to access adequate treatment. Around 90% of people with the condition who go untreated live in the developing world. About 46.000 people are registered in Armenia, with 10 000 of them being diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. 20.000 of them are disabled people. Mental disorders, like physical illnesses can be treated. Scornful attitude towards persons with mental disorders is unacceptable. The Armenian Psychiatric Association has declared October Mental Health Awareness month and scheduled a series of events in the framework of the initiative.
