Luanda — World Mental Health Day is marked on 10 October and it is a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy, which was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries.

This day, each October thousands of supports come to celebrate this annual awareness program to bring attention to Mental Illness and its major effects on peoples' life worldwide.

In some countries this day is part of the larger Mental Illness Awareness Week.

World Mental Health Day raises public awareness about mental health issues and the day promotes open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services.

This year the theme for the day is "Depression: A Global Crisis".

Depression affects more than 350 million people of all ages, in all communities, and is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease.

Although there are known effective treatments for depression, access to treatment is a problem in most countries and in some countries fewer than 10% of those who need it receive such treatment.

On the occasion of the day, the regional director of WHO for Africa, the Angolan Luís Gomes Sambo, said in a message that depression is a serious and complex mental disturbance that may affect any person.

He said that depression is one of the main causes of incapabilities and contributes to the weight of the disease in the world.