World Mental Health Day 2016 News & Updates: WHO Introduces “Psychological First Aid” To Solve Mental Health Issues

As the world commemorated the World Mental Health Day 2016 on Oct, 10, the World Health Organization introduces "psychological first aid." The campaign aims to reach out to people with "psychological first aid," who are very distressed, and, importantly, to know what not to say.

According to WHO, the "psychological first aid" will focus on basic pragmatic psychological support by health staff, teachers, firemen, community workers and police officers., They will reportedly provide help to the distressed people.

Based on the Adult Psychiatric Mobility Survey, 17 percent of the people in the United Kingdom have Common Mental Disorder (CMD) like anxiety or depression. The survey tells women are likely to have more mental issues than the men.

Women aged 18-24 had depression, anxiety, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, with 12.6 percent of women with Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, 9.1 percent men of the same age have such disorders and 3.6 percent men were diagnosed PSTD.

As per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report, the suicide rates have increased 200 percent over the last decades. In fact, suicide deaths are high in 15-year-olds while suicidal tendencies are high among girls aged 10 - 14.

"Suicide is not just a mental health issue - it is a public health issue, and it is preventable," Kristin Holland, a behavioral scientist in the CDC's Division of Violence Prevention Surveillance, told The Huffington Post following the report.

Mental health illness is the costliest health condition in America, it could accumulate to $1 trillion per year as per the WHO. This indicates mental health issues need to be addressed as public health issues and tackled well just as diabetes and strokes.

A study published in the journal Health Affairs in March says that medical professional often neglect mental health issues and do not follow up their patients who have depression. Doctors mostly involved in diagnosis of physical illness.

The program "psychological first aid" will cover both psychological and social support. As physical health care never consists of physical first aid alone, mental health care will never have "psychological first aid" alone. Complete care shall be taken by the respective professionals.