Educating Young People about Mental Health and Well-being
Because the factors determining mental health are multisectoral, interventions to promote and protect mental health should also be delivered across multiple sectors.
Social and informal support delivered by community providers (e.g. community workers, peers) complement formal services and help ensure enabling environments for people with mental health conditions.
Health interventions and key social services
Combining health interventions with key social services, including child protection and access to education, employment and social protection, is essential to enable people with mental health conditions achieve their recovery goals and live a more satisfying and meaningful life (WHO, 2022b).
Νon-governmental stakeholders
Just as multiple government sectors are needed, many other stakeholders – from policymakers to professionals to people with lived experience and their families – need to be involved in promoting, protecting and supporting people’s mental health. Nongovernmental organizations, peer networks, traditional practitioners and others play a crucial part.
Depending on circumstances and objectives, these stakeholders’ roles may range from advocacy and activism to service provision and support. Working in partnership across public and private sectors can be an effective way of increasing the reach and resources of collaborative programmes (WHO, 2022b).
Interventions at an early age and throughout life
According to the Mental Health Atlas (WHO, 2020) targeted interventions from the early stages of life and across the life span play a major role in treatment and promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental health conditions. Furthermore interventions can make a positive impact and help reduce stigmatization, discrimination and human rights violations.
The Mental Health Atlas (WHO, 2020) questionnaire asked about countries’ prevention and promotion programmes in specific thematic areas and the main types of programmes reported were mental health awareness and anti-stigma programmes, followed by school-based mental health prevention and promotion, suicide prevention programmes, early childhood development and component of disaster preparedness.
In the context of efforts to develop mental health policy it is important to assess the needs of people with mental disorders but also to protect and promote mental well-being of all citizens.
Certain mental health promotion and protection strategies can target specific groups, including:
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1) Home-based interventions for socioeconomically disadvantaged families and for children with a mentally ill parent
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2) prevention of intimate partner violence
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3) school-based interventions for children and adolescents exhibiting emotional or behavioural problems
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4) work-based interventions for adults looking for employment or struggling to cope at work.
Promotion and prevention are required to enhance mental well-being and resilience, prevent the onset and impact of mental health conditions, and drive down the need for mental health care (WHO, 2022b).