Highland Council Supporting World Mental Health Day - 10 October 2024

9th October 2024

This year's World Mental Health Day - due to take place on Thursday, 10 October 2024 - aims to highlight what can be done to prioritise mental health in the workplace. The day is observed each year to raise awareness of mental health and encourage people to reach out for help.

The Council aims to reduce stigma around mental health and provide appropriate support to staff through a range of resources.

This support and intervention aims to give staff the confidence to discuss mental health openly in the workplace, manage their own mental health and wellbeing and, provide appropriate support to others when required.

Although stress is not a mental health condition, it may be a symptom of something else and may lead to a mental health issue if not managed appropriately. Managing stress is a key part of creating a mentally healthy workplace.

World Mental Health Day aims to get us all talking openly about mental health, mental illnesses and the treatment and preventions that are available to us all.

Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee, Cllr Derek Louden, commented: "By supporting and recognising World Mental Health Day, we are able to increase our understanding of Mental Health and its impact on our lives. We are all experiencing additional stresses and uncertainty because of global factors, including the cost of living crisis. This means many of us across Highland are likely to be feeling the effects of reduced Mental Health.

"Taking care of our mental health is as important as looking after our physical health and there are many resources available to the public which can help manage emotional wellbeing and which address dealing with issues such as isolation, sleep disturbance, and anxiety; they also provide short and valuable techniques to help everyone take care of their mental health, in addition to staying physically fit."

Visit the World Mental Health Day official website and take the opportunity to talk about any problems this World Mental Health Day.

If you, or someone you care for, is in immediate danger call 999. If the crisis is not life threatening, call NHS 24 on 111 or speak to your GP. There are other services you can contact 24 hours a day for support:

• Samaritans - 116 123 (calls are free and do not show on a phone bill)
• Breathing Space - 0800 83 85 87.