As part of our activities to raise awareness for World Mental Health Day on October 10, the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), Betatrip Inc. and Lundbeck Japan KK will jointly host an online seminar on Wednesday, October 4. The event is titled “Mental Health of Teens and Twenty-somethings.”
At this seminar, mental health and education experts will discuss the mental health of adolescents and twenty-somethings, covering topics ranging from the potential of education to eliminate stigma, to methods for combating stress and the provision of early care. They will also share other practical information that will be useful to many people. In addition to specialists involved in youth mental health, everyone is invited to join this event, including young people, their guardians and anyone interested in mental health.
An overview of the mental health issues facing young people
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), more than 500 people among primary, secondary and secondary school students committed suicide in 2022. This is the highest figure since 1980, the first year for which such statistics are available. Although health problems are considered the most common factor in youth suicides, health problems are not limited to mental disorders. Rather, the process that leads to suicide is said to be linked to both mental and physical illness. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people interact with each other, exacerbating social problems such as isolation and loneliness. Mental health measures for young people now constitute a vital issue for society.
In this context, under the leadership of the MHLW, the Japanese government is increasing efforts to create an environment in which young people can maintain good mental health. For example, the 2022 revision of the high school curriculum guidelines updated physical education and health classes to include information on preventing and recovering from mental disorders. For the first time in almost 40 years, high school students will have the opportunity to learn about mental illness at school, helping with prevention and early detection.
(Event Overview)
Date: Wednesday October 4, 2023; from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. JST
Format: Online (Zoom webinar)
Language: Japanese only
Participation fee: Free
Co-hosts: HGPI, Betatrip Inc., Lundbeck Japan KK
With the support of : the MHLW, the ReOpa support group for people living with depression or experiencing difficulties in life, Silver Ribbon Japan, the Organization of People with Psychosocial Disabilities Porque, the National Federation of Associations of Families with Mental Illness in Japan (Minna-net), COmmunity Mental Health & Welfare Bonding Organization (COMHBO), the Japan Depression Center (JDC), the Japan Institute of Peer Training in Mental Health, Peacemind, Inc. and the Royal Danish Embassy .
(Program)
Lecture 1: Reducing mental health stigma through education: potential and challenges
Sosei Yamaguchi (Section Chief, Clinical Services Program Research Section, Department of Community Mental Health and Law, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center for Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP))
Lecture 2: Stress and stress management methods for teens and 20-somethings
Chikaze Sugiyama (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Global Psychology, Kyoto Tachibana University)
Lecture 3: The importance of early intervention with young people and an introduction to the counseling support system
Takahiro Nemoto (Professor, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Social Implementation Psychiatry, Toho University School of Medicine)
Round table (question-answer format)
Moderator: Shunichiro Kurita (Senior Director, HGPI)
(Please note that seminar content is subject to change without notice.)
Presentation of World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day is a day to raise awareness of mental health issues and eliminate stigma that the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) has observed for over three decades. Another goal of World Mental Health Day is to help people unify their voices to take action to create lasting change and foster a society where people can live with hope. World Mental Health Day is officially recognized as an international day by the World Health Organization (WHO). Every year on October 10, awareness-raising activities based on the theme of that year’s World Mental Health Day are organized in more than 60 countries around the world. This year’s theme is “MENTAL HEALTH IS A UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHT”.
For more details, please visit the WFMH website at https://wfmh.global/.
