World Mental Health Day October 10th

World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10th each year. The Day is designed to promote a continuing discussion about mental health disorders and to encourage investment in treatment and prevention of these disorders.

There is currently a huge treatment gap for a variety of mental, substance abuse and neurological disorders which can all fall under the category of mental health disorders. This gap is especially evident in developing countries which have few resources to dedicate to treatment and prevention. Due to the interrelated nature of mental and physical health, a great need exists to address the mental health needs of those people who suffer from chronic physical disabilities and illness, as well as to provide physical health care for those patients with serious mental disorders.

This requires an integrated approach to provide the optimum care for those with mental disorders, and this care should be provided on a continuing basis.

Here are some examples of social enterprises dealing with meantal health:

MHC Social Enterprises for Mental Health in the UK

MHC Social Enterprises for mental health is a social enterprise that is operated by Mental Health Care, a registered UK charity. The objective of the operation is to make a profit, but an equally important goal is to fulfill social goals such as training people who suffer from mental disorders and helping them find employment.

The company currently operates two successful enterprises based on this principle, and is working on a number of other projects which will be launched soon. One of the social enterprises operated by MHC is called the Busy Bodies, which are a team of tradesmen who work together to carry out gardening and home maintenance work. This group has been operating since 2004 and works on projects throughout northeast of England.

Another successful social enterprise the MHC operates in Longbenton Newcastle is called B2G Diner. This community cafe serves inexpensive, healthy meals to the public and also operates a catering service and sandwich delivery.

Social Enterprise for Wellbeing and Mental Health Conference

The Social Enterprise for Wellbeing and Mental Health conference was held in February 2011 in the Nambucca Valley, NSW. The goal of the conference was to examine how social enterprise can help improve community well being and how it can be an important tool for early mental health intervention.

The three day conference featured two days of ticketed activity followed by a third day of community festival. A wide range of speakers addressed the conference with their interpretation of how social enterprise can benefit communities. Topics explored include the importance of education in social enterprise, micro finance, and the implications of the National Broadband Network.

A wide range of social enterprise case studies was also presented during the first day of the conference. The second day featured a number of workshops which delegates participated, along with site visits to social enterprises in the Nambucca Valley.

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