Global Mental Health Action Network

💡How can we collectively strengthen and amplify the voices of advocates to improve mental health for all? This World Mental Health Day, we’re sharing a sneak preview of our NEW long-term strategy at the WHO’s Mental Health Forum in Geneva. We have outlined how the Global Mental Health Action Network plans to scale its core mission of bringing together the world’s most diverse community of advocates to catalyse change. Our Network members have made it clear that we need to work towards a more equitable future, with a fairer distribution of power, influence, funding, services, and mental health workforce. We intend to lead by example and foster collaborative spaces and mechanisms that champion diverse leadership, equity and inclusion. Developing capacity, sharing opportunities and amplifying the voices of advocates is core to mental health improvement and central to our mission as the world’s leading network for mental health advocacy! Join us at our strategy launch event on 14th October to discover how we plan to grow the mental health field and nurture our growing network of advocates to drive meaningful action! 📢 Action Network Strategy Launch Event 📅 Monday 14th October, 2pm BST 📝 Register now - https://lnkd.in/e39gmBnf #WorldMentalHealthDay #MHForAll #GlobalMentalHealth 

Climate change is negatively impacting  mental health now. Narmin, a cheese maker in a small mountainous village in Azerbaijan, relies on good weather to support her family. Repeated droughts have devastated her livestock, worsened her livelihood, and heightened stress in her community. Narmin’s story reminds us that the mental toll of climate change is real, impacting people’s mental health, psychological well-being, and future. With COP29 on the horizon, let’s advocate for climate policies that consider mental health and for climate finance that is fit for purpose. 👉 Read more in our new case studies here: https://bit.ly/4fklZwg Global Climate and Health Alliance Jeni Miller Jessica Beagley Shweta Narayan Maria Neira Wellcome Trust Professor Miranda Wolpert Alan Dangour Alice Bell Beck Smith Omnia El Omrani, MD AMREF Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative Arthur Wyns C40 Cities YOUNGO Dr. Harshita Umesh The MHPSS Collaborative Marie Dahl Jasinska Emma Lawrance Climate Cares - Imperial College London COP² - People x Planet Gary Belkin Pan African Climate Justice Alliance Benson Simba The Global Fund Liz Willetts Climate Action Network International The Rockefeller Foundation Clean Air Fund Nina R. Marit Viktoria Pettersen IUCN Alessandro Massazza #COP29 #MentalHealthMatters #ClimateChange

🌍 Climate change is impacting mental health by increasing the risk of new mental health problems and making people living with mental health conditions more vulnerable. Our Climate Change and Mental Health Advocacy Brief, available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and now also in Azerbaijani, outlines how extreme climate events like floods, droughts, and heatwaves are worsening mental health, and what we can do about it. As COP29 approaches, we’re calling on policymakers to ensure mental health is integrated across discussions on climate adaptation, mitigation, just transition, financing, and loss and damage. Download the brief here: https://bit.ly/4en30zS Stay tuned for our updates throughout COP29 on our channels. #COP29 #MentalHealthMatters #ClimateChange

We are excited to be co-hosting a satellite event at the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Bogota, Colombia on November 6, with Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), Being Initiative, The New School, and Trauma Research Foundation. The event, Brain Science of Early Adversity and Scaling Innovations to Protect Children from Violence and Promote Lifelong Mental Health, features a panel of global experts, including doctors, mental health ambassadors, educators, economists, and specialists. 🤔 Will you be attending the conference? If so, register for our in-person event: bit.ly/3A08KBv Panelists include: - Daniela Moreno Farfán, Youth representative with UNESCO’s SDG 4 Youth Network, Government and Public Affairs student at Los Andes University - Wendy D'Andrea, Associate professor, New School and Chief Science Officer for the Trauma Research Foundation - Dr. Alexandra Chen, Trauma Psychologist and Early Childhood Specialist, Healing for Gaza - Maria Adelaida Lopez, Executive Director aeioTU* - Laura Rawlings, Lead Economist in the World Bank’s Gender Group - Nicole Bruskewitz, Director of Education and Programs at Coschool* - Camila Andrea Castellanos Roncancio, Programme Coordinator, Fundacíon Saldarriaga Concha* - Dr. German Casas, President of Médecins Sans Frontières for Latin America and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Professor at the University of Los Andes Hosts & Moderators: - Michelle Cruickshank, Portfolio Lead of the Child Development Portfolio, Grand Challenges Canada - Elizabeth Lule, Executive Director, Early Childhood Development Action Network - Shekufeh Z., Global Technical Lead, Early Childhood Development Action Network

What’s your vision for a mentally healthy workforce? We asked health workers around the world to share theirs. 💬⬇️ Dr. claire kwagala, a psychiatrist from Uganda, envisions a future where: • Mental health is integrated into all workplace policies • Health workers have access to regular wellness checks and mental health resources • Open conversations about mental well-being are encouraged • Mental health is prioritised  alongside physical health The global health system needs to learn from those within it: to listen and respond to the needs of health workers. Read more on our blog from Dr. Hamdi I., our Senior Officer for Health Systems and our case studies here: http://bit.ly/3ZSfADu Africa CDC ICN-International Council of Nurses IFMSA | International Federation of Medical Students' Associations World Health Organization Wellcome Trust Elton John AIDS Foundation The Global Fund Being Initiative Fondation Botnar Grand Challenges Canada #WMHD #WorkplaceMentalHealth #WMHD2024 #WorkplaceWellness 

During this Global Week of Action on NCDs, we call on all governments and donors to Integrate mental health and NCD financing to create holistic, person-centered care systems.People with lived experiences must be involved in policy decisions. Their voices are critical to shaping effective solutions. With the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs approaching in 2025, the opportunity to influence global priorities is now. We are leading the sector in convening joint action to secure progressing commitments on mental health at this critical moment. Together, we can #LeadOnNCDs and ensure mental health gets the attention it deserves.  Learn more about the NCD Alliance #LeadonNCDs campaign: https://lnkd.in/eqniDhVJ Learn more about our work: https://lnkd.in/diWQu_us

It's time to prioritise to prioritise the mental health of the health workforce. "A lot of my colleagues are going through the same thing, but they don’t have the support they need," Isaac Akwasi Mensah, Nursing Officer, Ghana. Working long shifts, often beyond his job description, Isaac is one of many health workers facing burnout due to understaffing and overwhelming conditions. Despite being the backbone of the healthcare system, many health workers like Isaac are left without the mental health support they need to take care of themselves. Isaac has joined our campaign, calling for better mental health resources, investment, and recognition for the health workforce. Read Isaac's story here: http://bit.ly/3ZSfADu Africa CDC ICN-International Council of Nurses IFMSA | International Federation of Medical Students' Associations World Health Organization Wellcome Trust Elton John AIDS Foundation The Global Fund Being Initiative Fondation Botnar Grand Challenges Canada #WMHD #WorkplaceMentalHealth #WMHD2024 #WorkplaceWellness

"BREAKING SILENCE, HEALING THE PAST! #IkipedoriMentalHealthFoundation recently partnered with Kidepo Government Health Facility to extend its mental health support to highly conflict-affected communities of Moroto District, in #KaramojaSubRegion in Uganda, reaching to over 750 individuals! Through Community mobilization, awareness creation, mental health screening, counseling sessions, identification and training of Peer Support Group Mentors. We're empowering communities to shatter stigma, heal from trauma, and build resilience. This initiative marks a crucial step towards creating a mental health-free future for Karamoja, where individuals can thrive despite conflict and negative impact of #ClimateChange. Join us in championing community-led solutions and breaking the silence surrounding mental health! Ember Mental Health Mental Health Innovation Network (MHIN) Nivishe Mental Health Fellowship Global Mental Health Action Network TPO Uganda #MentalHealthMatters #Karamoja #CommunityOutreach #PartnersForImpact #ConflictResolution #WellnessInAction #BreakTheSilence #HealingThePast

A nossa Fundação está participando da coalizão "Crianças no G20", um esforço formado por diversas organizações brasileiras e internacionais, como a Save the Children International , Plan International, ChildFund Alliance e a Global Mental Health Action Network, dedicadas a incluir o bem-estar infantil na agenda do G20. A iniciativa será lançada durante a Cúpula de Líderes das 20 maiores economias do mundo, que vai se reunir nos dias 18 e 19 de novembro, no Rio de Janeiro. O objetivo da coalizão é estabelecer as bases para a criação de um grupo focado nas crianças durante o encontro. As diretrizes estão no Pacote de Políticas Crianças no G20, lançado no fim de setembro durante a 79ª Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas e da Cúpula do Futuro, com o apoio do Child Mind Institute. Para saber mais, clique no link (em inglês): https://lnkd.in/guh4nT89   #G20 #criançasnoG20 #saudeinfantil #ONU #FJLES #savethechildren

It’s heartbreaking, but unfortunately common, how stigma prevents people from getting the mental health support they need. Family breakdowns are also frequent for individuals living with mental illness. A neighbor’s experience recently illustrated just how deeply these issues run. After his episode last weekend, I accommodated his family, offering them shelter from the cold. We all hoped the paranoia would calm down, but instead, he locked the doors, switched off his phone, and turned off the lights—completely shutting the world out. As we waited, I spoke with his wife. She acknowledged that mental health issues existed but admitted she wasn’t prepared to bear the distress that comes with paranoia. From her tone, it was clear their marriage was crumbling. I suggested using binaural beats, but she dismissed the idea, believing that gospel music was superior according to her faith. She viewed binaural beats as part of a luciferian system that manipulates through music. With no other options, she called her in-laws, who arrived around 11 p.m. to take her away. By morning, it was as if nothing had happened. He reappeared, fully aware of the events of the previous night, deeply embarrassed, but unable to control what had transpired. While I was meditating in my backyard, he came over, carrying a visible weight on his shoulders. He sat down, listened to the calming music, and slowly began to talk. Listening—truly listening—is often the most powerful form of therapy. He shared how his condition had strained his marriage, even leading his wife to seek legal intervention, with his in-laws mediating. He expressed the difficulty of explaining to others how it feels to live as two entirely different people. He spoke of the therapeutic power of binaural beats but lamented how stigma makes it challenging to practice openly. Though he knows he needs help, he’s unsure how to initiate that conversation with his family and friends. This week, I’m heading to Western Kenya, including rural Siaya and the urban slums of Nyalenda, to train Community Health Promoters (CHPs) in music therapy and assess their progress with mental health advocacy and social media training. In many parts of this region, mental health remains a taboo subject. However, I believe that through education and persistent advocacy, we can foster environments where therapy—whether through music or other methods—is more accessible and less stigmatized. #MentalHealth #WorkplaceWellbeing #MusicTherapy #BipolarDisorder #EndStigma #HealthcareReform #RotaryInternational #TailoredHealing #MasseWorld #SpeakOut #EmotionalHealing #MentalHealthAwareness Antony Okungu | Adeola O. Akinyode | Mercy Mwende | Mercy Moraa | Martha D. Karimi | Carla Birnberg | Christopher Harrison, J.D., Ph.D. | Raissa Levy | Global Mental Health Action Network | Common Thread |