WONCA joins World Mental Health Day 2022

With information of World Health Organization (WHO)

WONCA joined the celebrations of World Mental Health Day 2022, an important date to re-kindle our efforts to protect and improve mental health.

Under the theme “Make mental health & well-being for all a global priority”, this year’s campaign represents a perfect opportunity for people with mental health conditions, advocates, governments, employers, employees and other stakeholders to come together to recognize progress in this field and to be vocal about what we need to do to ensure Mental Health & Well-Being becomes a Global Priority for all.

“Many aspects of mental health have been challenged; and 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, especially in low and middle income countries”. 

According to the WHO, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a global crisis for mental health, fuelling short- and long-term stresses and undermining the mental health of millions. Estimates put the rise in both anxiety and depressive disorders at more than 25% during the first year of the pandemic. At the same time, mental health services have been severely disrupted and the treatment gap for mental health conditions has widened.

As family doctors, we join the call of the World Health Organization, to value, promote and protect, not only our patients mental health, but also the mental health of primary care professionals and healthcare workers around the globe.
“We must strengthen mental health care so that the full spectrum of mental health needs is met through a community-based network of accessible, affordable and quality services and supports” 

Read the complete release on World Mental Health Day and discover this year’s campaign HERE

We invite you to discover our Working Party on Mental Health,  chaired by Professor Christos Lionis. The group aims to contribute to education, research, and the latest mental health developments related to primary care. 

Find more information HERE.

The Spice Route Movement celebrates WMHD with a webinar

On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the Spice Route Movement, a young doctors movement from WONCA South Asia organised the Webinar “Make mental Health and Well-being a Global Priority for All”.

The session, held on the 10 October 2022, was led by Dr Asitha Koshala from Sri Lanka, Dr Tabinda Ashfaq from Pakistan, and Dr Wangdi Norbu from Bhutan. 

The webinar focused on several key points related to mental health y primary care, including the most common mental health problems among family physicians and health care workers, who frequently encounter burnout, depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders.


“Depression is one of the huge challenges associated with this profession. Too many patients, high expectations, lack of work/life balance, administrative tasks, and the extreme work load causes stress in the medical field. We have a major role dealing with multiple issues at one time and that affects our mental health “, noted Dr Ashfaq.

Find more information about the Spice Route Movement HERE.