Today, I had the privilege of being part of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Mental Health Fair, held on Thursday 2nd October, in recognition of World Mental Health Day 2025.
The event brought together a wide range of organisations and community groups working tirelessly to support the mental health and wellbeing of patients, families, and carers.
Why carers need to be at the heart of mental health conversations
As someone who has cared for a loved one experiencing mental health challenges, I know firsthand the importance of recognising and supporting carers through the groups i run.
Welcome to another blog post from carer activist Matthew McKenzie for World Mental Health Day 2024.
Raising Awareness for Mental Health: The Significance of World Mental Health Day 2024
On October 10th, the world comes together to observe World Mental Health Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness around mental health issues and mobilizing efforts in support of mental well-being. Established by the World Federation for Mental Health in 1992, this day serves as a crucial reminder for governments, organizations, professionals, and individuals to advocate for mental health awareness and promote positive mental health practices.
The Importance of Raising Awareness
World Mental Health Day shines a global spotlight on mental health issues, encouraging open and honest conversations about mental health. Breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness is a key aspect of this day. When mental health is discussed openly, it becomes easier for people to seek help and support. This not only includes individuals struggling with mental health conditions themselves but also those who care for someone facing these challenges.
Advocacy for Mental Health Care
A fundamental focus of World Mental Health Day 2024 is advocacy for mental health care. This year’s theme, “Mental Health at Work,” highlights the importance of access to quality mental health care for everyone, regardless of their location or financial situation. Ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to get the help they need, even in the workplace, is a critical message being communicated globally.
Educational Initiatives
Education plays a massive role in World Mental Health Day. Many organizations use this opportunity to host events, discussions, and seminars aimed at educating the public about mental health issues, their symptoms, available treatments, and the importance of having a solid support network. Knowledge truly is power, and understanding mental health can significantly improve how we support ourselves and others in our communities.
The 2024 Theme: Mental Health at Work
The theme for World Mental Health Day 2024, “Mental Health at Work,” emphasizes the need for safe and healthy working environments that protect our mental health. This powerful message reinforces the notion that mental health care should be available to everyone and that no one should face barriers to access due to stigma, geography, or financial constraints.
Key Messages to Take Away
From World Mental Health Day 2024, there are several essential messages we should embrace:
Mental health is just as important as physical health.
Openly discussing mental health can reduce stigma.
Seeking help for mental health concerns is okay.
Mental health services should be accessible to everyone, including services at the workplace.
Community and Organizational Activities
Around the world, communities and organizations celebrate this day in various ways. Hosting events, running campaigns, and participating in activities such as mindfulness workshops, mental health seminars, and workplace initiatives aimed at supporting mental wellness are some approaches taken to mark the occasion. These activities not only raise awareness but also foster a supportive community environment.
Moving Forward: Making a Positive Change
World Mental Health Day 2024 is not just a day on the calendar but an opportunity to create lasting positive changes. By continuing the conversation about mental health, advocating for accessible mental health care, educating ourselves and others, and supporting workplace mental health initiatives, we can help ensure that mental health matters.
In conclusion, as we observe World Mental Health Day, let us commit to making mental health a priority in our lives and communities. By doing so, we honor the fundamental principles of this day and contribute to a world where mental health is recognized, understood, and supported.
Thank you for reading. Remember to take care of yourselves and each other. To watch the video version see the video below.
Welcome back to another blog by Matthew McKenzie carer advocate and campaigner. Just a quick reminder this website focuses on those who care for someone with a mental illness. I am talking about unpaid carers, usually friends and families. Just recently we had an awareness campaign “World Mental Health Day” 2022.
World Mental Health Day runs on Monday, 10 October. For the UK, the national mental health charity “Mental Health Foundation” leads on raising awareness and campaigning for better mental health.
Of course there are other organisations and charities that help raise awareness of mental health. I have recently been engaging with hospitals to focus on unpaid carers. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the organisations that engages heavily with one of my carer forums (Joint Southwark and Lambeth). I was delighted to be asked to promote my carers group at the latest World mental health fair organised by King’s college Hospital.
King’s College Hospital mental health lead Kieran Quirke organised the event. Kieran is the associate Director of Nursing for Mental Health at King’s College Hospital. The fair was to introduce to staff, patients and carers about what is available in the community.
The organisations that took part were the following
The Well Centre Lambeth Carers Hub Age UK Lambeth Southwark and Lambeth Mental Health carers Forum The SHARP Gallery Southwark Wellbeing Hub The Butterfly Dementia Cafe Kooth (youth mental wellbeing support) Lambeth and Southwark MIND Mosaic Clubhouse South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
I am sure there were many more, but the important thing is that the community was brought together to network and help raise awareness of all the important work that they do. I was told that the room the MH fair took place, had just been recently decorated. This shows that King’s College Hospital are trying their best to invest in what is important to the community.
For my stall, I focused on the importance of unpaid carers given the empowerment to promote networking, peer groups and advocacy.
I hope there will be more events like this next year.
Welcome back to another one of my blog posts on mental health. This blog post is helping to promote World Mental Health Day 2017. The theme for World Mental Health Day is Mental health in the workplace. World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues
Hi everyone, welcome to another blog post from Matthew Mckenzie a mental health carer from the London Borough of Lewisham. As of this blog post, it is World Mental Health Day 2015 or #WMHD2015. There are lots of events that are being held on October the 10th, but there are plenty more mental health events being held in the month of October.
On this blog post, I have decided to do a post about World Mental Health Day 2014. Last year on World Mental health day 2013, I visited an event to do with service user involvement in research, which was held over at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
This year I am going to visit around 3 or 4 events in South London and experience how different people celebrate world mental health day 2014.
Please check out the video I made of the events I visited that day.
Going back to my blog post, ever since I have been a carer for someone suffering from schizophrenia, I have always wondered how such a mysterious illness can take the personality away from our loved ones.
I sometimes struggle to work out why my loved one does not understand me as much as she used to. It seems as far as I can remember my loved one seems so different as if there is lack of interest in many things, sometimes she is irritable and other times very withdrawn.
It feels like I could never understand mental health difficulties and I am sure my loved one struggles to explain how she feels.
I think that perhaps this is one of the reasons why there is a World Mental Health day 2014. The event is to allow others to reflect and think about mental health for the day. We cannot all experience what mental ill health fully means unless we are sufferers, but at least we can all help raise awareness and combat the stigma of mental ill health throughout society.
I feel it does not matter too much if you suffer from bipolar or severe depression, with world mental health day, it is so important to get our voices heard, it is so important to write down our thoughts and feelings so that others can learn from those affected by schizophrenia.
I only hope that as a carer and one that blogs fairly often, that others out there are inspired to blog about mental health. World Mental Health day need not be about depressing others about mental health, the day can also be a celebration of those who are clearly part of society.
We all go through difficult days and we all hit different levels of mental health. The blur between carers, health professionals and those with lived experience can encompass us all as anyone can be hit by mental health problems.
Society can only gain in the long run when no one is isolated, where no one is stigmatized and where no one ends up developing mental ill health in the first place. With events like World Mental Health Day, we can take that extra step to be aware of our own mental health, we can take that extra step to be aware of others suffering mental health problems.
I feel World Mental Health Day is about coming together and recognising what makes us human, no matter how fragile or strong we all are, we can forget that we are people, we end up forgetting our minds until its too late. We need to use such events as a way to remember that our mental health and emotions play a far bigger role than we ever take notice of.
Let us all celebrate, help raise awareness and use World Mental Health Day to aid us in to becoming healthier people and not only look after ourselves but to stop, reflect and look after others.
A Caring Mind 