As we mark Mental Health Awareness Month and World Mental Health Day (10 October), we are reminded that mental health is not a privilege — it’s a right. This year’s theme, “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies,” highlights the urgent need for inclusive, accessible care, even in times of crisis.

In her article, Ntombikanina Mboniswa explores how crises — from floods and pandemics to conflict and displacement — magnify mental health challenges, and why building resilient systems that prioritise psychological support is essential.

Read the article below:

“Shaping a Healthier Future Through Mental Health Awareness”

Division of Registered Counsellors & Psychometrists (Written by: Ntombikanina Mboniswa)

Every year, World Mental Health Day (10 October) and Mental Health Awareness Month serve as vital reminders that mental health is as essential as physical health. These observances raise public awareness, fight stigma, promote early intervention, and  mobilise collective action.

Significance & Why It Matters:
Mental health conditions affect people across all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. Without awareness, many suffer in silence. Observance days and months help bring conversations into the open, highlight structural gaps, and push for policy change and
resource allocation.

This Year’s Theme: Access to Services in Crises
For 2025, the World Federation for Mental Health has selected the theme “Access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies.” This theme underscores that in moments of crisis — whether natural disasters, pandemics, conflict, displacement, or economic collapse — mental health often suffers dramatically, yet access to care is often cut or neglected. The message is that mental health support must be resilient and included in emergency response planning. In many communities, emergencies compound risk factors like trauma, loss, displacement, and isolation. Highlighting access means advocating for robust systems that remain functional when they’re needed most.

How the Public Can Engage:
Here are practical ways people can get involved:

• Share awareness materials: Use toolkits, posters, social media graphics, and hashtags (e.g. from World Mental Health Day) to spark conversation.
• Host or attend events: “Talk cafés,” listening circles, webinars, and panel discussions on mental health in emergency settings can create meaningful community engagement.
• Get trained: Enrol in Mental Health First Aid or similar training so you can support someone in distress.
• Advocacy: Engage with local or national government to push for policies that embed mental health into disaster-response frameworks.
• Support organisations: Volunteer or donate to mental health NGOs, especially those active in crisis zones or frontline settings.

Useful Resources & Practical Tools:

• The World Mental Health Day campaign toolkit (posters, messaging guides) is made publicly available.
• SADAG’s Mental Health Awareness Month toolkit provides social media content and engagement ideas.
• Many mental health organisations also host online screening tools, helplines, and peer support networks.

Division-Specific Insights / Contributions:

If you represent a department, branch, or division (e.g. a school, company, public health unit, NGO), consider these tailored ideas:

• Internal awareness campaign: Use newsletters, posters and internal webinars to promote mental wellbeing and destigmatize seeking help.
• Emergency planning: Ensure your division’s disaster response protocols include mental health support (e.g. crisis counselling, referral pathways).
• Partnerships: Collaborate with local mental health services, Registered Counsellors, or NGOs to provide workshops or outreach services.
• Monitoring & feedback: Use surveys or suggestion boxes to gauge mental health needs in your constituency or staff, to drive responsive programming.