Illustrating Disability: World Mental Health Day

Oct 9

On a blue background, the blog title “Illustrating World Mental Health Day” is in the center. On the bottom left corner, inside a navy blue blob says “disability experience.” To view the visual Instagram post based on this blog post, click the image or here.

October 10th is World Mental Health Day which is a day to raise awareness on mental health and what still needs to be done to support mental health in society. The 2024 theme is “Mental Health at Work” to highlight the need for safe, healthy working environments around the world. Mental health is being more recognized as a disability from the public and the needs for supportive environments for a healthier society.

Just to be clear, mental health conditions are disabilities. Disabilities can be physical, mental, sensory, pain-related, developmental, and cognitive that can be permanent, temporary, or dynamic that impact people’s quality of life without adequate services and supports. The services and supports are meant to reduce barriers from all aspects of society including healthcare, workplace, education, community, communications, and the built environment. While people with mental health conditions do experience barriers, people with other disabilities can also have mental health conditions. In fact, due to the barriers that exist in society, people with disabilities are more likely to experience mental health issues.

Discussing mental health and the supports needed throughout many areas of society is critical to creating the safe and healthier environment needed to thrive. As people are more inclined to consider mental health as a disability, it opens doors on the types of services and supports that can be available.

The recognition is still quite new as policies, programs, and services still limit the definition and severity of disabilities from a physical point of view. Currently, new policies, programs, and services are popping up with the shift and needs in mind. From resources, to contact support to policies such as psychological safety, it is in growing demand.

However, it is important to recognize that conversations around mental health can differ depending on the focus and severity of the situation. Generally, the conversation around mental health can vary between stressors in life to diagnosed conditions. None of it exists on its own as prolonged stress and environments can create a negative impact. However, like other disabilities, there is usually a line of what is considered “manageable” or not qualified for services and supports to in need of services and supports. This conversation of when is it the point of accessing services and supports varies between policies. For example, Medically Assisted in Dying (MAiD) has definitions for terminal illnesses in order to access services but when it comes to mental conditions, it is a point of contention due to the uncertainty or lack of clarity of what is considered “close to death” to justify it.

While it may still be difficult in the disability-specific policies, the prevention side of policies is increasing for mental health supports for all. As an extension for workplace safety, psychological safety in the workspace is increasing in jurisdictions to help with the prevention and support of mental health in the workplace. You can refer to a previous blog post “Illustrating Disability: World Health and Safety Day” for more information. Mental health resources and awareness are more available as a recognition that it can impact anyone. More importantly, mental health resources are slowly increasing options for access which can allow more persons with disabilities to access mental health support and services.

We still have a long way to go. Just like the disability community because mental health can be a disability, the barriers that exist in the community will create more vulnerable situations. As long as housing is inaccessible and unaffordable, food insecurity, discrimination, insufficient healthcare, and social isolation exist, mental health will continue to be an issue that society has to deal with. So, what can you do?

Have compassion: Canadian Mental Health Association (CHMA) did their 2024 Mental Health Week back in May surrounding compassion and how it can make a difference for mental health.
Consider mental health as part of health and safety: As policies are shifting to include psychological safety as part of workplace safety, it is crucial to create an environment in which mental health is protected.
Sense of community: Social isolation can make everything hard. It can make stress, physical, mental, and emotional health worse. Creating accessible and financially free get-togethers and/or events that can allow people to feel connection to their community can make a significant difference.
Reduce the barriers in the community: Since mental health is a disability, there are barriers that exist. Finding those barriers to reduce or eliminate them can make inclusion of people seamlessly and prevent some mental health issues or reduce them for a better quality of life.