Pinterest, Unilever and more share plans in support of World Mental Health Day

October 10 marks World Mental Health Day 2022, an initiative intended to provide the world with “an opportunity to re-kindle our efforts to protect and improve mental health,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO.) Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide has increased by 25% creating a global crisis. That means one in eight people globally live with mental health conditions — and with a global population of 7.93 billion, that’s a staggering 991.25 million people.

The WHO went on to describe the day as “an 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.”

The World Federation for Mental Health, which was founded in 1948 to prevent, treat, care for and promote discussion of mental health and emotional disorders, defined this year’s mission to “make mental health & well-being for all a global priority.” Here’s a look at what some companies are doing to commemorate this important day:

• Pinterest announced a first-of-its-kind global partnership with Headspace that will give hundreds of thousands of eligible creators a 6-month subscription to a range of tools that help with managing stress, increasing positivity and improving sleep.
• Unilever will be hosting a LinkedIn Live conversation with Dr. Diana Han, Unilever’s chief health and wellbeing officer and Jazz Thornton, an author and international mental health advocate, about the importance of both physical and mental health care, and ways to thrive going forward.
• Edelman will be observing World Mental Health Day by closing its doors for the day to allow its global employees a chance to recharge and focus on self-care. Employees in the UK shared stories on how they plan to use the time.
• Megan, Adornato, senior vice president of global health promotion programs at Citi, revealed on LinkedIn what the team has been working on to “break the stigma together and make mental health a priority.”
• Last year, dentsu international took part in World Mental Health Day by introducing Wellness Days to employees. These additional days off of work are designed for employees to focus on themselves. The media and digital marketing communications organization will also be closed for the day as part of that initiative. One talent acquisition lead for the Merkle division says she plans to treat her “mum to a spa day!”

Of course, these examples are just a sampling of how brands are supporting World Mental Health Day. By continuing to openly discuss the topic of mental health, the stigma diminishes and encourages many to get the help they need. What will you and your organization be doing for World Mental Health Day 2022? Tell the world using the hashtag #WorldMentalHealthDay and keep the conversation going every year.

Jon Minnick is a conference producer for Ragan Communications and will be spending World Mental Health Day 2022 cuddling with his cats, relaxing with a puzzle and remembering to take a deep cosmic breath. You can follow him on LinkedIn.