Mental Health Day
According to WHO (World Health Organisation) “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. It is therefore obvious that mental health is one of the basic contents of health as WHO defines it. However, in the modern societies mental health services are still underdeveloped, the access to treatment is still not equal for everyone and stigma is a constant “social barrier” for people with mental disorders.
Greece has taken some action towards achieving the equality of mental and physical health but there is still much to be done! Medical students need to acquire more practical knowledge and eliminate their own stigma towards mental health, since they are the ones that will have to contribute to the development of a health care system that will be less biased, less discriminative and more focused to mental health.
Those are the needs that led to the creation of a programme focused on mental health by HelMSIC. Mental Health Day lasts approximately 5 hours, it includes theoretical lectures given by mental health professionals, interactive workshops and a peer education training about stigma. Every medical student in Greece is welcome to attend Mental Health Day.
The goals of this activity are :
- To educate medical students on mental health issues
- To inform about the connection between our mental health and a healthy lifestyle and to realise its importance in mental health preservation
- To acquire practical skills (i.e. mental health first aid)
- To eliminate mental health stigma