While one in five people will experience mental illness over the course of their lifetimes, everyone will face challenges that can and will affect their mental health. Observed every year on October 10, World Mental Health Day seeks to raise awareness of mental health issues and highlights efforts to support mental health.
Acknowledging the state of one’s mental health issues is important, and so is being able to seek help when you’re struggling. ACA has provided sharable graphics and resources to support counselors around the world who play a crucial role for those struggling with their mental health.
Since 1987, the month of March has been designated as a time to honor the achievements, struggles, contributions and the vital role women have played throughout our historical and contemporary society.
In the ever-expansive field of mental health, names like Anne Freud were instrumental in curating the mental health landscape we know today. Anne Freud, despite having never achieved a higher education, propelled an expanded focus on children’s mental health and became the founder of child psychoanalysis and one of its foremost practitioners. Mary Whiton Calkins, a noteworthy psychologist remembered for her writings that combined philosophy and psychology and focused on memory and sense of self. These remarkable pioneers are just a few of the innumerable women who have sought to galvanize a newer, modern outlook on mental health.
Key Points about the History of Women and Mental Health
Lastly, there is, after all, much to be said about how much we still need to accomplish to brighten women’s futures, but in keeping with a lighter and more positive year, let us rather focus on how well women have succeeded despite the odds, and take note to apply these successes towards creating a better picture of mental health for us all.