There is no health without mental health, and the attendees at AIDS 2024 wholeheartedly agree! We joined forces with United for Global Mental Health, Elton John AIDS Foundation, and The Global Fund to host the first-ever Mental Health Networking Zone at the Global Village. Exceeding all expectations, we were delighted to meet with over 700 mental health advocates—a powerful demonstration of interest and solidarity for our cause.

On Monday July 29th, a regional coalition was launched with various stakeholders from other Caribbean territories, to advocate for the decolonization of laws against suicide in Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, St. Lucia and in Grenada. This refers to the process of revising or abolishing colonial-era laws that sought to criminalize suicide and suicide attempts. Inherited from European colonial powers, these laws reflect outdated views that treat suicide as a criminal act rather than as a mental health issue.

In June the Global Mental Health Action Network Communications Working Group hosted a knowledge exchange session sponsored by Pinterest on developing case studies to tell impactful stories and support advocacy efforts and donor communications.

The Global Mental Health community has been slow to respond to the underserved needs of the LGBTQI+ community. Through the new LGBTQI+ Working Group, Co-Chairs aspire to increase coordination, knowledge-sharing, and capacity building, or else efforts will remain fragmented. It is imperative to amplify our collective voice, pool resources, and stand united in our commitment to LGBTQI+ mental health and equality.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst Caribbean youth between the ages of 15 and 25. In 2017, almost one in seven adolescent students in Trinidad and Tobago had attempted suicide. In the rest of the population, the rate of suicide attempts in the Caribbean has been steadily increasing. Survivors of suicide and self-harm require support and mental health services.

Blog co-authored by the Stigma and Discrmination Working Group Co-Chairs on why tackling stigma and discrimination matters and what the evidence tells us about tackling this issue globally.

We had the privilege of organising a webinar focused on a crucial topic, “Integrating Effective Communication in Responding to the Mental Health Needs of War-Impacted Populations in Ukraine." This event was part of the monthly knowledge and information sharing sessions organised by the Action Network Communications working group.

If there’s one key takeaway message for us in the global mental health space from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 154th Executive Board (EB) session, it is that mental health remains strong and central in the global health agenda but more action is needed to deliver better mental health for all.

Embark on a journey of self-discovery and resilience as Dumi Gatsha, Co-Chair of the Mental Health and UHC Working Group, shares their personal experience with depression, burnout, and an unexpected bipolar diagnosis. Dumi’s candid reflection takes us through the historic context of Botswana's new mental health bill, challenging colonial legacies and addressing evolving discussions around human rights and inclusivity.

Written by Margianta Surahman Juhanda Dinata, Founder & Executive Director, Emancipate Indonesia on the impact being underpaid and overworked has on youth workers.

The Global Mental Health Action Network Annual Meeting 2023, bringing together delegates around the world to advance progress on mental health

How have countries for WHOs Special Initiative for Mental Health been chosen?

There is no formula to selecting countries under the WHO’s Special Initiative for Mental Health. One non-negotiable requirement is a commitment from a country’s Ministry of Health to work with WHO for at least 5-years, towards transforming mental health systems and systems, to ultimately increase the availability of mental health services across the country (or identified geographical areas).

I hope this helps - a global mental health documentary

We believe this film can be a powerful resource to support the awareness and advocacy work of others. To this end, we are very keen to work with any organisations who share our purpose and can help shape the film, ensuring it supports mental health campaigners around the world.

The WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health, launched in 2019, advances policies, advocacy and human rights, to rapidly scale-up quality interventions and services for people with mental, neurological and substance use conditions.

Countdown for Global Mental Health 2030 is a partnership between Global Mental Health @Harvard, WHO, UNICEF, the Global Mental Health Peer Network and United for Global Mental Health.

GMHAN is creating a global network where every campaigner and professional working in mental health has somewhere to go to access the support they need to make the change they want to see. We are delighted to share our 2023 Action Plan with you all, which highlights our ambitions, targets and ways of working for the year ahead.

The UHC working group of the Global Mental Health Action Network have produced a brief detailing their 8 key asks on integrating mental health into UHC.

The theme of World Mental Health Day 2022 was ‘Make Mental Health and Well-being a Global Priority for All.’ To realise this aspiration, we first need to recognise children and young people are a unique group, with their own particular psychological make-up and mental health needs.

Against a decade-long pattern of deteriorating mental health conditions among youth, Covid 19 pandemic made the situation far more worse. As per the Youth-led Action Research on Covid-19 pandemic on Marginalised Youth study, youth were forced to face the fear of losing their loved ones, stress, and anxiety over their future uncertainty, financial hardships, lack of opportunities and social isolation made them more vulnerable.

In 2022, we saw the largest gathering of our network to date, with over 600 participants from 77 countries across six virtual sessions of the GMHAN Annual meeting. As we look ahead to the planning of our 2023 Annual Meeting, we have listened to your feedback through our annual survey and other forums/channels and realise there is a big demand for us to convene in person once again!

To help us plan we would love to ask you some questions and get a better understanding of where, when and IF we should host our annual meeting in person in 2023.