World Mental Health Day 2023: Recognising mental health as a Universal Right

The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on October 10, 2023, every year. This year’s theme, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is “Mental Health is a universal human right”.

Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has, and continues to take its toll on our mental health, the ability to reconnect through World Mental Health Day 2023 will provide us with an opportunity to re-kindle our efforts to protect and improve mental health.

Mental health problems exist in our lives, families, workplaces and communities, impacting everyone. In this special day, we would like to acknowledge and recognise the impact on emotional wellbeing for both people living with bladder cancer and their caregivers.

Around the world, 570,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer making it the 10^th most commonly diagnosed cancer. Studies have shown that mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, often coexist with a diagnosis of bladder cancer with a worse prognosis associated with greater psychological burden.

For people who are told they have bladder cancer, it can be really tough emotionally. Not knowing what will happen, going through tough treatments, and being scared about the future can make them feel very down. This shows how it’s really important that we do more to let people know about bladder cancer, help them out, and stand up for them.

On World Mental Health Day, we should remember that mental health isn’t something separate from our physical health. It’s all connected. When we say mental health is a universal human right, it means we should pay attention to how people feel and think when they have diseases such as bladder cancer.

There is a need for greater support and awareness of mental health challenges faced by people affected by bladder cancer. It is fundamental to raise awareness about bladder cancer and to continue building a support community as it may help with improving outcomes for people by bladder cancer worldwide.

It is fundamental for people with bladder cancer to have a support system that cares about their feelings and thoughts. This means making sure they can find the help, information, and emotional support they need to stay strong and hopeful during their journey.

Things like setting up groups for bladder cancer patients and sharing information are a big part of this. These efforts can create a community that not only tells people about bladder cancer but also helps them deal with their emotions in a positive way.

We invite you to explore our Start-up guide – a valuable resource for anyone with ambitions to start a bladder cancer patient group in their country.

We invite you to visit our Bladder Cancer information pages to know more about bladder cancer and initiate the conversation with your community .