Tomorrow - 10 October 2020 - is the World Mental Health Day, this year entitled "Mental Health for All, Greater Investment - Greater Access. For All, Everywhere". The aim is to highlight the importance of health policies and actions to promote better mental health globally.
In this regard, in the context of activities relating to integral human development and studies on how, especially at this time of health, economic, social and political crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected people's lives, the Dicastery, under the guidance of Secretary Msgr. Bruno Marie Duffé, has set up a study and working group on the theme of mental health.
The group, made up of qualified experts and scholars, will meet tomorrow, Saturday 10 October, to prepare a pastoral reflection text on "mental health and COVID-19", in order to understand how to prepare together the future for all those suffering from mental disorders, by taking up the message of inclusion proposed by Pope Francis also in the last Encyclical "Fratelli tutti".
As the World Health Organization states, in fact, "in the world almost 1 billion people live with a mental disorder and every 40 seconds a person commits suicide: numbers destined to change radically because of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on people all over the world". Moreover, "in many countries, especially the ones with low income, more than 75% of people with mental or neurological disorders and substance abuse problems are not treated; while stigma, discrimination and human rights violations are widespread".
The text prepared in the working group will be ready by the end of October.
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