We are the home of Mental Health Awareness Week
Mental Health Awareness Week happens every year, and it's the biggest opportunity for the whole of the UK to come together to focus on getting good mental health. The week aims to tackle stigma and help people understand and prioritise their and others' mental health.
We started Mental Health Awareness Week in 2001, and as a vital part of our work as a charity, we continue to set the agenda - theme and dates, as well as coordinate activities for the week. In recent years, it has evolved to focus on preventing mental health problems and has become one of the most high-profile public campaigns in the UK.
Each May, millions of people from every part of society take part across the whole of the UK. They include people in schools and further education; private, public and charity sectors; families and individuals. The UK and national governments, celebrities and many others continue to actively support the week.
What can Mental Health Awareness Week achieve?
Mental Health Awareness Week is vital in increasing public understanding of mental health and how mental health problems can be prevented.
After years of being ignored, hidden away, and not being spoken about, Mental Health Awareness Week makes sure that mental health remains at the centre of the public conversation. It has contributed to government policy changes and provides a significant red-letter day when mental health charities throughout the UK can fundraise to support their work.
Above all, it keeps up the pressure for change so that we collectively prioritise the UK’s mental health, prevent mental health problems and take action to make sure we live in a society that values and promotes good mental health for all.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2023
Previous Mental Health Awareness Week themes
2022 - loneliness
Loneliness affects more and more of us in the UK and has had a huge effect on our physical and mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic only served to make things worse. In 2022, we looked at the connection between loneliness and mental health.
2021 - nature
Being in nature is good for your mental health. It reduces stress and lifts your mood. In 2021, we looked at the link between nature and mental health - why it matters, how we can all get more of nature and how people are experiencing the benefits.
2020 - 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.
2019 - 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.