World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. The theme of this year is “Mental health in the workplace”. Its goal is to intensify the mentioned issue to improve the mental well-being of the employees.
The Global Action Plan for Employees’ Health Care (for 2008 – 2017) of the World Health Organization and the Mental Health Action Plan includes relevant provisions, objectives and tasks for the protection of mental health in the workplace. The focus is put on reducing stigma and discrimination against people with problems, various social aspects, living and working conditions.

No effective measures are being taken for the protection of mental health of employees in Georgia. As a result of monitoring the measures taken under the Mental Health Development Strategic Document and Action Plan for 2015-2020, it has been found out that the activities aimed at developing mental health programs in the workplace, kindergartens and public schools, raising awareness of the public, changing attitude and reducing stigma, are not properly implemented. The measures taken by the agencies responsible for the implementation of the strategic document are not sufficient. Consequently, a number of issues remain to be problematic.

The Public Defender urges the relevant agencies to ensure timely implementation of the activities defined by the National Mental Health Action Plan for 2015-2020, which will facilitate the resolution of fundamental problems in the field, including minimization of mental health problems in the workplace.