World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilising 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 selected for this year’s Day is suicide prevention.

On this year’s World Mental Health Day, in addition to events and activities taking place on or around 10 September, we are encouraging you to prepare to take “40 seconds of action” on 10 October to help:

• improve awareness of the significance of suicide as a global public health problem;
• improve knowledge of what can be done to prevent suicide;
• reduce the stigma associated with suicide;
• and let people who are struggling know that they are not alone.