Toronto – October 4, 2022 – Every October 10 is World Mental Health Day and in 2022, it’s more important than ever before.

Whilst the pandemic has, and continues to, take its toll on our mental health, the ability to reconnect through World Mental Health Day 2022 will provide us with an opportunity to re-kindle our efforts to protect and improve mental health.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. Already before the pandemic in 2019 an estimated one in eight people globally were living with a mental disorder.  At the same time, the services, skills and funding available for mental health remain in short supply and fall far below what is needed.

Clearly, then, a focus on mental health is needed now more than ever, and it is also important for us to recognize that workplace health and safety includes mental health. Given that, on any given week, 500,000 Canadians are unable to work due to mental illnesses, it is vital for employers to provide support to workers who are experiencing a mental illness, and to work with employees and their union to develop an effective workplace mental health strategy.

Stigma and discrimination are barriers to social inclusion and access to care. We can all play our part in increasing awareness about which preventive mental health interventions work. World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to do that collectively. You can do your part by taking the time to listen to those around you.

World Mental Health Day belongs to all of us because no one is immune to mental illness. Mental Health is Brain Health, and you can find infographics and fact sheets and other tools to address mental health issues at work at UFCW.ca/mentalhealth. 

We envision a world in which mental health is valued, promoted and protected, and where everyone is heard and supported.