Government to Launch Three-Month Mental Health Awareness Campaign from Wednesday

Kathmandu, Dec 9 – The government is set to launch a nationwide Mental Health Awareness Campaign from Wednesday. The three-month campaign will run until March 14.

The campaign was announced at a press meet organized by the National Health Education, Information and Communications Centre on Tuesday. Centre Director Dr Radhika Thapaliya said the initiative aims to increase public awareness on mental health, noting that people from all sections of society are facing rising stress.

The theme of the campaign is “Let’s hold open discussions on mental health; let’s benefit from the campaign.”

Senior Public Health Administrator at the Ministry, Upendra Dhungana, said the campaign seeks to promote the understanding that mental health is an essential part of overall health.

Psychiatrist Dr Kedar Marhatta from the World Health Organization also stressed the need for open dialogue on mental health issues. He said one in every ten people in Nepal is affected by mental health problems, making it a major public health concern.

According to Nepal Police statistics, 7,055 people died by suicide in the fiscal year 2081/82 (2024–25), with mental health identified as a key factor.