By Abby Sharp
If you ate lunch in the cafeteria on Wednesday or Thursday last week, you probably saw a group of people selling green ribbons. They were members of our school's Wellness Club, selling green ribbons for World Mental Health Day. Despite the large amount of money they collected, I realized that many people need to be aware of what World Mental Health Day was, so I wrote this article to give you a good idea of what the day is.
World Mental Health Day is an international holiday to raise awareness about mental health struggles, educate people about mental health, and fight social stigmas surrounding mental illness. World Mental Health Day is the creation of the World Federation for Mental Health and has its anniversary on October 10, 1992. In 1994, the organization enhanced the day by adding a theme, and the idea has carried forward to today. This year, the concept ensured that mental health and well-being became a global priority.
Every organization has a form of branding, and a green ribbon represents the World Mental Health Day organization. There are many shades of green ribbon stripes, each symbolizing something different, and the ribbon for mental health awareness is deep-shaded emerald green. It leads to the question, what is the significance of emerald green? The story is that it evolved from the historical practice of wearing a sprig of green flora to symbolize the wearer's mental health issues, such as grief.
Other less reputable and more questionable sources state that patients declared insane during the 19th century were labelled with green ribbons, but there is little evidence to support this theory. Nevertheless, no matter its origin, it has become a global symbol for mental health awareness and the continuing effort to help the millions of people affected by mental illness every day.
At PDHS, we must encourage conversations around mental health and ensure students are on the right track. There are many themed days, but attention to student mental health must be a priority.