Racial bias and disability shape who gets referred, diagnosed, and supported. These are not individual failures. They are systemic. Inclusive language in mission statements is not enough. Policy must follow.
#MentalHealthRights #LivedExperience
🌍✨ Happy Earth Day! ✨🌱
Today, we celebrate our planet and the importance of caring for both it and ourselves. Just as the Earth needs nurturing, so do we.
Take the time to explore, find the words, and reflect on ways to care for yourself and the planet! 💚
🔗Canva link: canva.link/jr9k7yl76xfh...
Discrimination shapes who gets mental health care, how it is delivered, and who is left out.
Addressing it is not optional. It is the foundation of equity.
#MentalHealthJustice #LivedExperience #SystemsChange
Our Europe/Eastern Mediterranean region has developed some practical tips that may help to promote rewarding, virtual connections and ensure respect and relational safety.
Thanks to Karli Montague-Cardoso & Živilė Valuckienė for leading this initiative.
Quality standards in mental health services mean nothing without independent oversight.
#MentalHealthPolicy #CRPD #HumanRightsStandards
Recording of the UPSIDES Webinar | Now Available
Peer support continues to shape more inclusive and recovery-oriented mental health systems, bringing lived experience to the forefront.
🎥Watch here: youtu.be/JN8KJpnvVtc
🔗Learn more here: www.upsides.org/project/
#PeerSupport #UPSIDES #MGMH #avesMH
One of the most practical things an organisation can do to protect people's well-being is to allow employees to have a say in how their work is structured.
#WorkplaceMentalHealth #JobDesign #BurnoutPrevention
For people with mental health conditions, prison often makes things worse.
Diversion programmes and restorative justice exist. The evidence supports them. The barrier is political will, not proof.
#MentalHealthJustice #RestorativeJustice #SystemsChange
Prison environments shape mental health.
Overcrowding, noise, poor sanitation, and lack of sunlight can intensify distress and conflict.
Safer spaces, recreation, and fresh air create calmer environments for both inmates and staff.
#PrisonReform #MentalHealthPolicy #JusticeSystems
We talk a lot about rehabilitation. But how often do we actually fund it? Education and vocational training inside prisons reduces reoffending, violence, and improves mental health outcomes. The will to provide resources is the harder ask. What would it take to make this the rule, not the exception?
We are proud to share a publication of a new paper in PLOS Mental Health titled: Held but not healed - Why coercive practices undermine Mental Health & Wellness by our Global Network Manager, Sandra Ferreira.
Access the paper here:
journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...
Care without accountability is control.
We need independent oversight bodies with the power to inspect facilities and enforce human rights standards.
Healing spaces must be safe spaces.
#MentalHealthReform #HumanRights #Healthcare
Our Asia-Oceania Region chaired by Shreyus Sukhija & Souradeep Chakraborty, shares this position statement titled: Integrating Lived Experience as a core Methodology for Mental Health Research in the Asia-Oceania Region.
Click on the link to read the statement:
www.aves-mh.org/Research%20P...
Meeting people where they are, not where the system expects them to be, is how real support works.
Housing stability and mental health are the same conversation.
#OutreachMatters #MentalWellbeing #SocialCare
We were honored to host Professor Michael Ashley Stein for an insightful and impactful webinar on advancing global disability rights.
You may watch the recording here:
youtu.be/M6ZUyVZ9nF0
Peer support brings the expertise of lived experience into mental health services, offering meaningful support to others on their recovery journey
Join to explore how lived experience is shaping more inclusive, recovery-oriented mental health care globally
Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
You can't heal in a place that doesn't feel safe.
Housing insecurity is a mental health crisis, and treating it separately means failing the people who need both.
#MentalHealth #HousingJustice #HousingFirst
This World Health Day, we are reminded that caring for ourselves is not a luxury, it is a necessity and a right. Mental health is health, and every person deserves access to support, understanding, and compassion.
Together, we can create a culture where seeking help is a sign of strength.
#avesMH
Data without diversity is a blind spot. People with lived experience of mental health conditions belong in the room where equity is measured, not just where it's discussed.
#PolicyMatters #MentalHealthAdvocacy #InclusiveLeadership
Policies developed without the people they affect will always miss the mark. Mental health, equity, and inclusion are important conversations that must happen to put lived experience at the center.
#MentalHealth #SocialEquity #InclusionMatters
Our March newsletter is out! Use the link below to access it.
buff.ly/rBxpITu
Is the rise in mental health conditions real, or are we pathologizing normal human experience? Both conversations matter. Research confirms the increase is largely real and sustained. Awareness, while powerful, can sometimes blur the line between ordinary stress and a diagnosable condition.
Our African region chaired by Philani Ama Kinyabo hosted a session on the Tree of Life exercise.
Participants described the experience as emotional, therapeutic and transformative. Themes of family, healing and resilience came through strongly and many reflected on how far they've come.
What good is a mental health plan that remains on paper? According to the Mental Health Atlas 2024, only 16% of countries have fully allocated financial resources to implement their policies. Behind every percentage point is a person who needed support and did not get it. We can and must do better.
Reintegrating into civilian life isn't a healthcare issue. It's about housing, financial stability, education, career pathways, and genuine belonging in the community. Veterans and their families deserve a full ecosystem of support, not prescriptions. Our policies must reflect that. #VeteranSupport
Defense institutions play a vital role in addressing the mental health impacts of trauma & civilian reintegration.
We must support our veterans through comprehensive policy changes and dedicated services.
#VeteransHealth #MentalHealth #MilitaryTransition
To protect service members' mental health, we must transform military culture.
This means enforcing strong safeguards against abuse & discrimination, while breaking the stigma around seeking help.
#MilitaryCulture #MentalHealthAwareness #Veterans
Supporting veterans means offering pre-deployment resilience training & post-deployment reintegration support.
Access to rights-based, trauma-informed mental health services & suicide prevention programs is non-negotiable.
#VeteransAffairs #TraumaInformedCare
Military families serve too.
Comprehensive mental health policy must include targeted support for families throughout the deployment cycle, alongside peer support & anti-stigma education for service members.
#MilitaryFamilies #MentalHealthLiteracy
The "we did our best with the budget" excuse is a myth used to justify tokenism.
If Lived Experience inclusion is a priority, it must be funded.
Ethical inclusion demands real financial investment, fair pay, and structural infrastructure.
#MentalHealth #ResearchEthics #HealthEquit