Mental health awareness calendar

Throughout the year we take part in key awareness dates which help to raise awareness of mental health, and the problems faced by those living with mental illness. Browse our calendar below and find out how you can get involved.

Mental Health Awareness Week

13 - 19 May 2024

This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week, as set by the Mental Health Foundation, is “Movement: moving for our mental health.”

Be sure to check this page regularly, so we can share our planned activities for the week.

Dates for your diary

Time to Talk Day

1 February 2024

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.

Children's Mental Health Week

5-11 February 2024

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.

Eating Disorders Awareness Week

28 February - 5 March 2024

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.

Self-Injury Awareness Day

1 March 2024

Self-harm is the intentional act of harming or injuring our body. Self-harm may not be obvious and can include substance abuse, our relationship with eating and deliberately acting in a way that puts ourselves in danger. Self-Injury Awareness Day is a global observance dedicated to raising awareness about self-harm and self-injury.

University Mental Health Day

14 March 2024

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.

World Bipolar Day

30 March 2024

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

April 2024

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.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

13-19 May 2024

Mental Health Awareness Week will take place 13-19 May 2024. Make sure you bookmark our webpage to find out the latest on how you can get involved this year.

National Schizophrenia Awareness Day

24 July 2024

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

10 September 2024

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

10 October 2024

World Mental Health Day is run by the World Federation for Mental Health. Check back soon for more details on our campaign and how you can support us, or see what we did for 2023 – when we asked you to pledge to make mental health a priority.

OCD Awareness Week

10-16 October 2024

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

2 November 2023

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.

Men's Mental Health Awareness Month

November 2024

Every November is home to men’s mental health awareness month. Men experience disproportionately high-rates of suicide, with death by suicide being the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 in the UK. There are many reasons why men might talk less about mental health, such as societal expectations of masculinity. Each November, we tackle this stigma and encourage men to talk.

Anti-Bullying Week

11-17 November 2024

Anyone can experience bullying at any age, be it at school or college or in the workplace. Bullying can have a range of negative impacts on our mental health, confidence and self-esteem, many of which can affect us long-term. Anti-Bullying Week and Odd Socks Day aims to make a noise about bullying and to not stay silent when we hear bullying dismissed as ‘just banter’.

Raise awareness in your workplace

We can help your organisation to break the stigma and talk about mental health more at work.