Stigma & Discrimination

The Stigma and Discrimination Working Group has been established to foster knowledge sharing among members about proven strategies to combat mental health-related stigma and discrimination. The primary objective of this initiative is to empower members to challenge these issues within their respective communities and contribute to worldwide efforts, particularly in low-resource settings.

Sue Baker
Changing Minds Globally

Working Group Co-Chairs

Judy Kariuki
BasicNeeds BasicRights Kenya

Taha Sabri
Taskeen Health Initiative

Our Focus

The group will be working towards:

  • Sharing evidence-based strategies, toolkits, tools, materials, and research on anti-stigma programs across global regions.

  • Supporting members to increase their knowledge and build capacity to develop, implement and evaluate anti-stigma programs. 

  • Encouraging members to exchange innovative approaches, practices, and experiences with peers from similar cultural/geographic contexts. 

  • Collectively advocate for increased attention to, and investment in, anti-stigma programs at key global events/moments.   

Our Work

Read the concept note for our Working Group:

Breaking Barriers: Building a Community of Support to Combat Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination

A group of authors, and our partners, from the The Lancet Commission on Ending Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health presented a new paper in 2024 providing greater analysis on the survey of people with lived experience (PWLE) from around the world and lessons learned. The paper explains how individuals were surveyed in 6 languages across over 30 countries. It offers valuable insights into the experiences and reflections of stigma and discrimination related to mental health. Read more here.

How to join us:

  1. Ensure you are a member of the Global Mental Health Action Network. Sign up here.

  2. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive an email inviting you to sign up for our Working Groups and register for our networking platform, Circle. Please use the same email address that you used when registering for the Action Network when submitting the Working Group form.

  3. If you are already a member of the Action Network, sign up for the Working Group using this form.