10/10/2026
The theme of this year's World Mental Health Day is 'Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change'.
As someone who specialises in co-production and lived experience engagement, I am so thrilled to see this as the theme. More and more, it feels like the 'voice' work in the UK mental health sector is being slowly, silently relegated to the side lines. But it is vital.
We would never, in a million years, design something commercially that didn't meet the needs of the intended user. It wouldn't make business sense. The same applies to mental health services - prevention is always cheaper than cure. Not just financially, but in terms of the very real human cost of living with a mental health condition.
So this year's theme feels like it has come at just the right time. On a personal note, I am living this experience myself every single day, and more than ever I believe that only honest, human conversations will ensure real change for future generations.
I know the statistics about mental health (they tend to be pretty grim reading to be honest!) and they matter, but they only tell us one side of the story.
So now I want an ocean of voices. A sea of people's experiences that we can venture into and find the pearls from - from people living with mental health conditions, people who care for others, people working in this space professionally.
Because without these voices, mental health services simply don't work.
As an old acquaintance Mark always said, 'nothing about us, without us'.
Useful resources...
Mental Health Foundation
Summit - TMHS
Mid and North East Essex Mind
Rethink Mental Illness
Samaritans
