After 18 months of COVID-19 related anxiety and constraints on a global scale, this year’s World Mental Health Day is sure to resonate with us all. Each year on October 10, the World Health Organization aims to raise awareness, increase understanding, and reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions.
Depression is a common illness, affecting 280 million people worldwide.1 As well as living with the symptoms of depression, people with poor mental health suffer from stigma and discrimination. This impacts their physical and mental health, and affects their educational opportunities and job prospects, as well as the daily lives of their families and loved ones.
For more than 30 years, Servier has been committed to making available therapeutic solutions to persons suffering from depression.
Servier continues to support people in their mental health journey, particularly those suffering from depression, through a joint initiative with the patient association GAMIAN- Europe.2 Last year, through workshops and consultation, Servier created two brochures and associated websites, A Guide to Depression and Its Treatment and Be Kind to Yourself.
By co-creating these materials with patients and patient advocates, Servier is providing information tailored to patient needs, based on feedback from real-life experiences. These materials also allow family and friends to better understand depression, while facilitating the relationship between the patient and the health care professional.
In 2021, Servier has again partnered with GAMIAN-Europe to co-develop and co-create two brochures, with a focus on the management of depression.
Additionally, Servier is working with health care professionals to promote the practice of shared decision-making in the area of mental health care. This aims to facilitate the communication between doctor and patient and encourage greater patient involvement in their personal health journey.
1 Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Global Health Data Exchange (GHDx).
2 GAMIAN-Europe is an organization of more than 60 patient associations representing and defending the interests and rights of people with mental illness.