Mental Health Awareness Week

Hosted every May by the Mental Health Foundation

Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event where there is an opportunity for the whole of the UK to focus on achieving good mental health.

The Mental Health Foundation created the event 22 years ago. Each year we continue to set the theme, organise and host the week. The event has grown to become one of the biggest awareness weeks across the UK and globally.

Mental Health Awareness Week is open to everyone. It is all about starting conversations about mental health and the things in our daily lives that can affect it. Every year, we want as many people as possible – individuals, communities, and governments – to think about the theme for the week and how it relates to their daily lives and work. It's also a chance to talk about any aspect of mental health that people want to – regardless of the theme. 

You can see find out more about some of the topics we've covered in recent years below.

Loneliness and mental health

For Mental Health Awareness Week in 2022, we looked at the connection between loneliness and mental health. Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK and has had a huge impact on our physical and mental health during the pandemic. Our connection to other people and our community is fundamental to protecting our mental health and we need to find better ways of tackling the epidemic of loneliness. We can all play a part in this.
Learn more about loneliness
Graphic of a person holding a protest sign that reads 'Let's tackle loneliness'

Previous Mental Health Awareness Week themes

Colourful graphic with the text 'nature'

2021 - theme of nature

Connecting with nature is good for your mental health. It can reduce stress and lift your mood. In 2021, we looked at the link between nature and mental health - why it matters, how we can all connect more and how some people are experiencing the benefits.

Colourful graphic with the text 'kindness'

2020 - theme of kindness

In 2020, we found that 63% of UK adults agree that when other people are kind it has a positive impact on their mental health, and the same proportion agree that being kind to others has a positive impact on their mental health.

Colourful graphic with the text 'body image'

2019 - theme of body image

Our research found that 30% of all adults have felt so stressed by body image and appearance that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. That’s almost 1 in every 3 people.

Join in on social media

Stay up to date with the latest on Mental Health Awareness Week, follow our social media accounts for updates on the week and our other activity.

Recent Mental Health Awareness Week news