Countries across the world, including Bangladesh, will observe World Mental Health Day Sunday, at a time when there has been a "worldwide failure to provide people with the mental health services they need as the Covid-19 pandemic is highlighting a growing need for mental health support." The day is observed every year on October 10 across the world for raising awareness about mental health. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the eve of World Mental Health Day 2021 whose theme is "Mental Health in an Unequal World." "Mental health problems have significantly increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic," President Hamid said. He stressed the need for family and social support for patients with mental health issues along with treatment. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the development of mental health alongside physical health is vital for building a happy and prosperous nation. She directed the concerned authorities to work in a way that mental health services can be brought to the doorsteps of people. Read: World misses most 2020 mental health targets: WHO

By the time his parents rushed him to the hospital, 11-year-old Pablo was barely eating and had stopped drinking entirely. Weakened by months of self-privation, his heart had slowed to a crawl and his kidneys were faltering. Medics injected him with fluids and fed him through a tube — first steps toward stitching together yet another child coming apart amid the tumult of the coronavirus crisis.

For nine months, Gordon Bonner has been in the “hinterlands of despair and desolation” after losing his wife of 63 years to the coronavirus pandemic that has now taken the lives of more than 100,000 people in the United Kingdom.

Facebook has said it is making it easier for users in Bangladesh to connect with helplines by partnering with local organizations in an effort to support and raise awareness on mental health. 

Jasmin Pierre was 18 when she tried to end her life, overdosing on whatever pills she could find. Diagnosed with depression and anxiety, she survived two more attempts at suicide, which felt like the only way to stop her pain.