Boosting Mental Health at Work: SEARO Care Initiative

The World Health Organization's SEARO Care initiative aims to enhance mental health at workplaces by improving working environments and offering support systems. Highlighted by Saima Wazed, it focuses on removing stigma, promoting wellbeing, and serving as a model for organizations across Southeast Asia.

The theme for this year's World Mental Health Day highlights the critical importance of mental health in the workplace, according to Saima Wazed, WHO's Regional Director for Southeast Asia. She stressed that a healthy work environment can serve as a protective factor for mental wellbeing.

Unhealthy conditions, including stigma, discrimination, and exposure to risks like harassment, can negatively impact mental health, leading to issues such as decreased performance and increased absenteeism, Wazed noted. Depression and anxiety alone result in the loss of about 12 billion workdays yearly, costing the global economy approximately USD 1 trillion annually.

In response, the SEARO Care initiative was announced to foster mental wellness at WHO offices. This groundbreaking step aims to create supportive environments and actively promote mental health through training, mindfulness workshops, and direct interventions like counseling services and peer advisory networks.

(With inputs from agencies.)