Mental Health Day was introduced by the World Federation for Mental Health and has been annually marked in more than 100 countries since 1992. According to the World Health Organization 450 million people suffer from mental disorders all over the world at the present moment. Moreover, in western countries every 7th person suffers from paranoia, schizophrenia or inclined to depression and alcoholism. Specialists forecast that depression is likely to become one of the most considerable diseases by 2020.

The main goal of the day is prevention of mental disorders, correction of present treatment and making it more efficient. The day is expected to carry a unifying function, to cause interest of publicity to the discussed problems.

Although originally Mental Health Day didn’t have a specific meaning, nowadays it’s obtaining more and more importance as in recent years scientists and medical workers have been profoundly concerned with the present state of people’s mental health.

Psychotherapeutic organizations regularly publish magazines, which are later sent to governmental structures and medical institutions, calling to participate in the international movement.