October 10 is globally recognised as World Mental Health Day by the World Federation for Mental Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts to support those affected worldwide.

At the United Nations, events and activities are organized each year on World Mental Health Day and throughout the month of October to encourage meaningful conversations and encourage ongoing action to foster safe and healthy working environments across the UN system.

World Mental Health Day: 10 October 2025
The purpose of World Mental Health Day is to improve knowledge, raise awareness and mobilise efforts in
support of mental health around the world. This year’s theme – 'Mental health in humanitarian emergencies’ –
highlights the challenges of providing mental healthcare during large-scale emergencies.
Background
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as 'a state of mental well-being that enables
people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to
their community’. Multiple individual, social and structural factors may combine to protect or undermine
mental health. Individual psychological and biological factors such as emotional skills and substance use can
make people more vulnerable. Exposure to unfavourable social, economic, geopolitical and environmental
circumstances (such as a pandemic, rising living costs, conflicts and war) increases people’s vulnerability to
poor mental health. In addition, digitalisation and climate anxiety are among major trends that could
contribute to a 'perfect storm’ for young Europeans’ mental health, in particular.
Risks to mental health at work can include: being overqualified or underqualified for the role; excessive
workloads or work pace, or understaffing; long, unsocial or inflexible hours; lack of control over job design
or workload; unsafe or poor physical working conditions; an organisational culture that enables negative
behaviour; violence, harassment or bullying; discrimination; an unclear job role; job insecurity, inadequate
pay, or poor investment in career development; and conflicting demands of work and home.
World Mental Health Day was first celebrated on 10 October 1992 on the initiative of the World Federation
for Mental Health. The theme for 2025 – 'Mental health in humanitarian emergencies’ – emphasises the need
for readily available mental health support in times of crises. Conflicts, disasters and health emergencies
exert a significant impact on mental health. It is estimated that approximately one in five individuals living
in conflict-affected areas experiences a mental health condition, often characterised by fear, anxiety or
sadness. Nearly everyone affected experiences emotional distress and disrupted community ties. Alongside
the provision of food, water and medicine, access to mental health and psychosocial support is deemed
essential to enable survivors to cope, recover and rebuild their lives.
Facts and figures
According to data released by the WHO in September 2025, more than 1 billion people worldwide (around
one in eight) are living with mental health disorders, including conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Globally, one in seven adolescents (10- to 19-year-olds) experiences a mental disorder.
In the EU, mental health problems affected an estimated 84 million people (one in six) in 2019, and those
figures have worsened since. Data on mental health collected at national level are not always comparable,
as the survey instruments used to measure anxiety, for instance, differ between countries; moreover, some
surveys have small sample sizes or exhibit differences in the openness of populations to discussing their
mental state. Eurostat issues the 'Health in the European Union – facts and figures’ online publication and
provides data on public health. The European Commission has announced its intention to strengthen data
collection on mental health, notably through the European health interview survey, allowing for better
comparability across the EU.
According to a 2023 survey on mental health, 46 % of respondents have experienced an emotional or
psychosocial problem, such as feeling depressed or anxious, in the past 12 months; 54 % of respondents
with a mental health issue have not received help from a professional.
EPRS World Mental Health Day: 10 October 2025
This document is prepared for, and addressed to, the Members and staff of the European Parliament as background material to assist them in their
parliamentary work. The content of the document is the sole responsibility of its author(s) and any opinions expressed herein should not be taken
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is acknowledged and the European Parliament is given prior notice and sent a copy. © European Union, 2025.
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In 2022, EU hospitals had 321 500 psychiatric care beds, accounting for 14 % of all hospital beds. In 2021, in
the 24 EU countries for which data were available, 3.1 million in-patients with mental and behavioural
disorders were discharged from hospitals.
Several drivers are at play. Stress at work can impact employees’ mental health, with an estimated 27 % of
workers in the EU suffering from stress, depression or anxiety in 2022. A September 2025 study
commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens, Equality and Culture examines
how structural labour market inequalities affect women’s mental health in the EU.
The COVID-19 pandemic put additional pressure on mental health, particularly among young people. An
increased state of loneliness can be observed among younger generations, sometimes leading to suicide:
5 017 young people aged 15 to 29 years died in 2022 in the EU as a result of intentional self-harm.
Furthermore, a 2025 study published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe shows the complex and
multifaceted relationship between social media use and mental health. Problematic social media and
gaming use among adolescents is on the rise: in 2024, 11 % of adolescents showed signs of problematic
social media behaviour and gaming, struggling to control their use and experiencing negative
consequences; 34 % of adolescents played digital games daily, with 22 % playing for at least four hours on
days when they engage in gaming.
EU action on mental health
Policies and services addressing mental health are the individual Member States’ responsibility. Article 168
of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides the legal basis for EU action in the field of
health. The EU complements national policies while also fostering cooperation between Member States
(notably through projects under the Horizon Europe and EU4Health programmes).
In June 2023, the European Commission adopted a communication on a comprehensive approach to mental
health, adding another pillar to the European health union. According to that new approach, EU action will
focus on three guiding principles: every EU citizen should have access to adequate and effective prevention,
have access to high-quality and affordable mental healthcare and treatment, and be able to reintegrate into
society after recovery. The cross-sectoral approach recognises that mental health involves many policy
areas, from education and employment to digitalisation, research, environment and climate. The
communication’s 20 flagship initiatives – with financing opportunities worth €1.23 billion under the EU’s
long-term budget, the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF) – support Member States and
stakeholders in their actions promoting good mental health, helping those most in need and vulnerable
groups (e.g. children, young people, the elderly, victims of gender-based violence, homeless people,
migrants and refugee populations). The Expert Group on Public Health advises the Commission on the
implementation of the flagship initiatives, and the Commission provides regular updates on their
implementation.
On 20 June 2025, the Council of the EU called for greater efforts to protect the mental health of children
and teenagers in the digital era, by promoting the safe and healthy use of digital tools, and by creating a
healthier, safer and more age-appropriate digital environment.
The European Parliament has consistently supported the promotion of good mental health and the need to put
mental health at the heart of EU policymaking (e.g. July 2022 resolution on mental health in the digital world of
work; December 2023 resolution on mental health).
In May 2025, Parliament debated ways to improve mental health at work with Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-
President of the Commission and Commissioner for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness.
MEPs stressed prevention (rather than just treatment), awareness-raising and employer responsibility as key to
achieving progress. Among other issues, they urged the Commission to propose minimum requirements for
telework; legislation on psychosocial risks and wellbeing at work; and a long-term, comprehensive and integrated
European mental health strategy, linking employment, health, social inclusion and equality policies.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJp4VfRSRE4

https://www.un.org/en/healthy-workforce/world-mental-health-day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ58LOzwfkw

https://mailchi.mp/cc69d27a1b32/special-edition-world-mental-health-day-2025?e=6b97d440bb

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2025/777934/EPRS_ATA(2025)777934_EN.pdf