World Mental Health Day is observed each year on 10th of October to raise awareness of mental health issues affecting 1 billion people across the world. Despite effective strategies for managing and preventing mental disorders, many people do not seek help because of limited access to care and the stigma attached. World Mental Health Day is observed to highlight the invaluable role of registered nurses in promoting mental health, preventing mental illness and providing person-centered mental health care.
Nurses are the largest professional group working in mental health. They can notice when patients might be suffering from a mental health disorder and have the information and expertise to offer patients with information about mental health. They can stabilize conditions like depression or anxiety. They can convey the significant fact that, like any other medical disorder that needs to be treated appropriately, mental health conditions are a physical and chemical imbalance and not a characteristic defect.
Mental illness affects people of all ages, genders, socioeconomic levels and in every corner of the globe. But around the world, mental health services are often inaccessible to people who are in dire need. This year’s focus on suicide prevention is especially welcome because of the high number of suicides across the globe. The World Health Organization estimates a truly astounding and disturbing statistic regarding the number of people taking their own lives each year.
So, we must understand health is a human right and that right should apply equally to physical and mental health problems. Likewise, The Malaysian Journal of Nursing (MJN), being one of leading journals around the world in the field of nursing attempts to publish various articles relevant to mental health services and nursing performance to provide best care for everyone.
Datuk Prof. Dr. Hjh. Bibi Florina Abdullah, RN