Follow us
Donate

European Mental Health Week

04-10 May 2020

#EuropeanMentalHealthWeek ♥ #TogetherWeCan

Mental Health Europe launches the first European mental health awareness week ‘Together we can make it’ to highlight the importance of mental health during the Covid-19 crisis and beyond.

READ MORE

Together we can make it through the crisis and beyond

During any major crisis, such as Covid-19, it’s completely normal to feel anxious, isolated or overwhelmed. Changes in routine, uncertainty about the future, concerns for safety, work or family responsibilities – we are all in this together. Although self-isolation offers protection and security, it comes with a significant impact on everyone’s mental health.

 

Remember, you’re not alone. We all have mental health. We’re all going through this together. We will tackle this together. Together we can support mental health for all.

 

This moment calls for honest conversations. We’ll be more resilient if we can see others experiencing it in the same way. We’ll be more resilient if we can help neighbours, friends and the community. We’ll be more resilient if governments make the right decisions now to support us all.

 

Together we can prioritise our mental health. Together we can support each other. Together we can act. Together we can make it through the crisis and beyond.

About the week

All you wanted to know

European Mental Health Week is a debut initiative of Europe’s largest independent mental health NGO Mental Health Europe (MHE). Hosted on 4-10 May 2020, the week aims to shine a spotlight on the importance of mental health in our everyday lives.

 

We chose this year’s theme ‘Together We Can Make It’ to inspire action in response to the  Covid-19 outbreak. As Covid-19 sparks concerns for widespread poor mental health, now more than ever it’s important to come together, start conversations, support each other and plan action for the unfolding crisis and its aftermath.

 

This week-long online action is raising awareness of the importance of mental health, sharing personal stories of how people are coping with difficulties during the coronavirus crisis and highlighting the need for action to stop stigma, judgement and discrimination against people with mental ill-health.

Why the week?

Background

We would like to build on the long-standing tradition of celebrating Mental Health Awareness month in May. In the US, Mental Health Month was initiated by Mental Health America in 1949. Every year since it has been celebrated with growing support from the public and policymakers, now for 70 years. In the UK, Mental Health Awareness Week has been run by Mental Health Foundation on the third week of May for the last 20 years.

 

Our ambition is to promote this positive practice throughout Europe and turn the European Mental Health Week into an annual pan-European mental health campaign celebrating the path to awareness and action.

How can you get involved?

Take part

This year the European Mental Health Week is an online action. The week is open to everyone: we all have mental health, so the more people involved the better! Here are a few ideas for how you can get involved:

5 ways you can participate in the European Mental Health Week

1.

 

Spread the word  

2.

 

Tell us why

mental health is

important

3.

 

Join our Twitter Q+A chat

4.

 

Share your story or tips

5.

 

Become a

mental health

champion

Spread the word

Encourage your friends, colleagues and networks to take part in the European Mental Health Week.

 

Mark the week using the hashtags #EuropeanMentalHealthWeek and #TogetherWeCan. Spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Linkedin. Share our resources to raise awareness of mental health and promote togetherness during this mental health awareness week.

Download our toolkit and share ready-to-use social messages and graphics with your social media followers and friends.

 

Make sure they know about the awareness week and learn about the ways to join in.

Use our free resources, help us promote awareness and the theme to inspire open and honest conversation about mental health.

 

Don’t forget – #TogetherWeCan.

Follow Mental Health Europe on social media to see what others are up to.

 

We are on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Tell your followers why mental health is important

We know that mental health is a complex issue and its explanation requires much more than just 5 words.

 

But imagine that you had only 5 words to tell us why mental health matters.

 

Be creative and take on a 5-word challenge using a hashtag #MentalHealthin5Words.

TAKE ON A 5-WORD CHALLENGE

Let’s talk – join our Q&A on Twitter

On 6th May, we will host a Q+A to encourage people to talk openly about their mental health and to know that #TogetherWeCan support each other. 

 

Let’s talk – share your questions with us on Twitter, using #AskMHE – we’ll collect them until Wednesday, 6 May & will answer them on 6 May at 3pm CEST!

Share your story, a tip or words of encouragement

Tell us: how are you coping with difficulties during the coronavirus crisis?

 

Think of these questions:
• What have you been doing to try and look after your mental health at the moment?
• What have you learned about your mental health in the past month?
• What strengths have you discovered within yourself?

 

Use the hashtag #EuropeanMentalHealthWeek on social media and don’t forget to tag Mental Health Europe in your post. We want to make your advice heard by others.

Share a tip

Share 3 tips that help your mental wellbeing on a daily basis in these tough times

Share a song

Share a song that elevates you and helps you cope with stressful times

Share a video

Share a short video recording telling us how you are looking after mental health to support others

Share a photo

Share a photo of what inspires you and keeps you going on a daily basis during lockdown

Share a story

Share your own mental health story, ignite and inspire conversation. You can submit your story via this link or an email.

Share your story, ignite and inspire conversation. Don’t forget – #TogetherWeCan.

Become a mental health champion

The impact of Covid-19 on the 84 million people with mental ill-health in the European Union alone should not be underestimated. The current crisis is unleashing unprecedented social and economic consequences on our societies, and even more so on people with mental-ill health, as they are especially at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

 

Given the anticipated demand for medium and long term psychosocial support in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis, governments need to act now if they want to ensure that the current public health crisis does not become a sustained social crisis, with stark consequences for inclusive growth and cohesion of European States.

 

Show the world you’re taking a stand to promote mental health for all. Please add your name or the name of your organisation to support our recommendations ‘Our mental health will shape Europe’s future. Act now to boost mental health policy’. Join the movement of mental health champions in Europe, become a mental health champion too.

 

Your signature can make all the difference to show the high importance of mental health to decision makers across Europe during this unfolding crisis.

 

#TogetherWeCan urge governments and the EU to reset mental health policy as an immediate priority.

Download Area

 

Download, personalise and share the European Mental Health Week’s materials as far and as wide as you can.

For any questions please contact Tetiana Sykes, Communications Manager at Mental Health Europe, tetiana[dot]sykes[at]mhe-sme[dot]org.