Mental health awareness calendar

One in four of us will experience a mental health problem, but many still feel isolated, ashamed and unable to open up on their lived experience. The ‘Time to Change’ was co-founded by our partner charity Rethink Mental Illness to end mental health discrimination. Time to Talk Day encourages everyone to be more open about mental health – to talk, to listen, to change lives.

75% of mental illnesses start before a person’s 18th birthday. With most long-term mental health problems beginning in adolescence, there’s a growing need for support for young people. Since 2019 our programme Bloom has developed young people’s resilience through life’s unexpected turns and transitions. In Children’s Mental Health Week, we highlight the importance of mental health support from a young age.

An eating disorder is an unhealthy attitude towards food, which can make you obsessed with your eating patterns. Eating disorders can involve eating too much or too little and using food to manage your feelings. The charity BEAT runs Eating Disorders Awareness Week annually to tackle myths and misunderstanding around eating disorders.

University Mental Health Day brings together the student community each year in an effort to make mental health a university-wide priority across the country, and to create continued change to the future of student mental health.

Bipolar disorder can make someone’s mood change dramatically from extreme highs (mania) to extreme lows (depression). These changes can be overwhelming and distressing, but a person may feel well between these periods. World Bipolar Day is organised by the International Bipolar Foundation to bring global awareness to bipolar conditions and to eliminate social stigma.

Stress Awareness Month has been held every April, since 1992 to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic. Many aspects of life can cause stress, but this year, we’ll be sharing tips and coping strategies to help you manage your mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

Organised by the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership UK, Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is a campaign dedicated to talking about mental illness during and after pregnancy. The week aims to raise public and professional awareness of perinatal mental illness, advocating for women affected by it, and helping them access the information, care and support they need to recover.

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week in 2020 is ‘nature and the environment’. We have plenty in store for the week, but we’re currently working on getting everything ready behind the scenes. Check back shortly to learn more about our plans!

Schizophrenia is a common mental illness that affects 1 in 100 people in their lifetime, yet the condition is widely misunderstood. Hosted by one of our founding charities Rethink Mental Illness, National Schizophrenia Awareness Day shines a light on the challenges faced by people living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in the UK and beyond.

World Suicide Prevention Day is hosted by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and provides the opportunity for people, across the globe, to raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention.

World Mental Health Day is run by the World Federation for Mental Health. This year, we’re working on a very special film to mark the occasion.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder affecting 1 in 100 people in the UK. People living with OCD will experience obsessions and/or compulsions  – an obsession is a repeated unwelcome thought or image which can be hard to ignore, while a compulsion is something you think about or do repeatedly to help relieve anxiety.  The week is a chance to bring about greater understanding of the condition and how it affects people.

National Stress Awareness Day was set up by the International Stress Management Association, with the mission of raising awareness of the effects of psychological distress in the workplace and strategies to address it.