A Rising Global Effort to Address Mental Health Issues
In recent years, we’ve seen a major shift in the number of people reporting mental health disorders, and governments across the world are taking note. Until recently, mental health support services have been difficult to find and access, but that is now changing. As individuals, communities, and workplaces become more open to discussing mental health publicly, innovative programs are rapidly being developed to assist people with mental disorders.
While governments are just now starting to implement large scale mental health services, individuals and communities have been taking initiative to develop their own solutions. One solution, called “The Friendship Bench”, is a program started in Zimbabwe that trains grandmothers to talk with and find solutions for people with mental health issues. The program has been so effective that it has spurred similar initiatives in places across the world like Qatar, England, and New York City. While programs like these are effective, widespread access to them remains uncommon. Larger global entities have begun to address this problem by creating prominent campaigns advocating for mental health support.
Multinational organizations such as the United Nations General Assembly and the World Health Organization have started programs to motivate the public and private sectors to take action regarding mental health issues. These programs focus on training people to learn about proper prevention, treatment, and the support services available to those with mental health problems. With these initiatives in place, global trends will continue to improve in regard to the level of support available to those with mental health disorders. Through the combined efforts from global organizations and localized initiatives, support services for those with mental health issues will continue to become more prominent and accessible.
Hope Trust serves clients throughout the United States.