The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), has this year aligned Caribbean Wellness Day with the Pan American Health Organization’s mental health awareness campaign.

Both campaigns for 2020 are being observed under the sub-theme, “Stronger Together.”

Worldwide, mental disorders are now recognized as the fifth major non-communicable disease and a major public health threat to economic development in the 21st century. According to the World Health Organization, one in four persons globally will be affected by a mental disorder or neurological disorder in their lifetime, while 450 million are affected by these disorders, such as, depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dementia and substance dependency.

In the Caribbean, mental health disorders are a leading cause of disability and a major contributor to of the burden of NCDs. In Jamaica the burden of mental illness is predicted to cause US$2.76 billion in lost economic output from 2015-2030.

The current COVID-19 pandemic is also affecting different people in different ways, and is having a major impact on mental health and well-being including those who have existing mental illnesses. CARPHA says investing in interventions designed to improve health can help reduce the burden of these illnesses.

For the next five years (2020-2024), the overall theme for Caribbean Wellness Day will be ‘Power Through Collective Action’, with the sub-theme ‘Stronger Together 2020’ for this year’s observance.