World Mental Health Day

By Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia

World Mental Health Day, observed annually on October 10, aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and promote efforts to support those suffering from mental health problems. It was first observed in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health.

This year the theme reminds us of the importance of “mental health in the workplace”. A safe and healthy work environment can be a protective factor for mental health. Unhealthy conditions – including stigma, discrimination and exposure to risks such as harassment – ​​can negatively impact mental health.

In addition to the impact on individuals and their families, poor mental health can also lead to reduced performance, absenteeism and increased staff turnover. Depression and anxiety alone result in the loss of approximately 12 billion working days each year and cost the global economy approximately $1 trillion annually.

Although we spend about a third of our lives at work, the importance of mental health in the workplace is easily overlooked. For many of us, work is a significant source of stress, anxiety and pressure. And yet, because it is a place where we spend most of our time, positive changes in the workplace can make a significant difference in our lives.

As advocated and mandated by our Member States, mental and psychosocial health and well-being is one of the cornerstones of our regional roadmap for outcomes and resilience. Therefore, in line with the roadmap, we recently announced SEARO Care – our groundbreaking initiative to improve the mental health and wellbeing of all employees across our regional and country offices. We hope that after the pilot phase and official launch, SEARO Care can become a case study and model for other companies and organizations in our region.

The two main pillars of SEARO Care are improving the working environment in all our offices and protecting and promoting the mental health of all our colleagues.

Improving the work environment includes both the physical and psychological environments in which our colleagues work. This includes providing social gathering areas, ergonomic office equipment, training facilities and more. Mental health promotion efforts include mental health training for managers, mindfulness workshops, surveys and more. Direct mental health interventions include counseling services, referral pathways, peer counseling networks, and other related initiatives.

We know that if SEARO Care is successful, it will create a supportive environment where employees feel valued, respected and cared for. This ensures higher job satisfaction, less stress and higher overall employee satisfaction. These changes are intended to promote a positive organizational culture characterized by trust, open communication and mutual respect. We believe it helps employees adapt to change and overcome challenges effectively, while reducing absenteeism and presenteeism. This alone should encourage collaboration and innovation and help us work together towards our regional goals.

On this World Mental Health Day, I am happy and proud that our regional office will lead the way in “making the change we want to see.” As we promote greater awareness of the importance of mental health in the workplace across our region, we will take concrete steps to improve company culture and the mental health of all members of our WHO SEAR family.

I trust that our experience with SEARO Care will serve as a blueprint for companies, institutions and organizations across Southeast Asia to improve the psychological environment in their workplaces and the mental health of all their employees and colleagues. This cultural shift alone could have a transformative impact on our entire region.

This World Mental Health Day, I am pleased that SEARO is leading the way with concrete actions to recognize the importance of mental health in the workplace. I urge others to do the same.