#MHForAll Webinar: Advocating for Mental Health when the World is Watching
On 1st October, we were joined by the key figures setting the agenda for the most significant days in the mental health advocacy calendar. Prof. Tsuyoshi Akiyama (President of the World Federation for Mental Health) and Prof. Rory O'Connor (President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention) shared recommendations to enhance advocacy plans for awareness days, including outlining how advocates can maximise impact in low-resource settings and champion the voices of persons with lived experience.
During this session, chaired by Joy Muhia (Mental Health Innovation Network Coordinator), our speakers emphasised the importance of sector-wide collaboration and coordination, supported by a clear, unified voice and message to drive meaningful action. The unique insights shared at this webinar can be applied in the planning and strategising for all commemorative occasions that put a spotlight on the issue of mental health, such as World Mental Health Day, World Suicide Prevention Day, Mental Health Awareness Week, and more!
Notes:
How can we use awareness days for maximum impact?
Creating one voice and building partnerships are essential for creating a lasting impact around awareness days. For the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH), collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) is pivotal in ensuring the sector is coordinated and organised to drive meaningful change on the specific theme and topic of World Mental Health Day (WMHD).
This, along with the production of a variety of resources that can be used locally and nationally is important and noted as a specific priority for the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) around World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD). There are many public health approaches to WMHD and WSPD, and all advocates can use these occasions as a springboard to prevent global challenges. Funding for mental health programs and systems can also be unlocked on these days by placing pressure on governments and highlighting the recovery rehabilitative opportunities. Governments must be made aware of the contributions that persons with lived and living experience can make to society and the economic benefits of investing in robust mental health policies. It is imperative that we make it clear that people with mental illness are assets of society and not a cost!
How can awareness days be set up to support advocacy nationally, regionally and globally?
Stigma and discrimination are rampant across the world, but there are many effective and impactful activities taking place globally. We must do our best to connect with partners from all regions to maximise impact. It is important to collect and disseminate as much information as possible locally to ensure grassroots needs are being fully understood. Collaboration with WHO offices and regional partners is vital in driving this work forward, and ensuring that action plans focusing on differing priorities are considered and grassroots interventions and advocacy are effectively joined-up with initiatives and campaigns that are taking place regionally and globally.
Disseminating accessible materials that can help raise awareness of the core issues can be effective for campaigns that are being developed at all levels. IASP has started developing triennial themes for WSPD so the theme remains consistent for 3 years. The current theme around “Changing the Narrative around Suicide” builds on the previous theme and links to a series of resources and toolkits that can be applied to campaigns being used across the world and to support a variety of different awareness-raising activities.
How can persons with lived experience use their own experience for advocacy?
Lived experience has to be at the heart of all advocacy. Mental health phenomena need interpretation to be understood by people without such experiences. Persons with lived experience can serve as translator or interpreters to guide and connect people with mental illness to people without mental illness. Within the suicide prevention field, everything is being guided by persons with lived and living experiences. Research and funding bodies must draw on the insights and experiences of lived experience in all their activities, and professionals and advocates must support persons with lived experience to participate in the best and safest way possible. The Scottish National Suicide Prevention Strategy relies on an academic advisory group and lived experience panel to drive policy recommendations. Support mechanisms have been established to protect the mental health of all participants whilst the best evidence is given to drive change.
Replay the full recording now!
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