World Mental Health Day
Every year on 10th October, we observe World Mental Health Day, a global initiative to raise awareness and promote action for mental health.
Each year, World Mental Health Day focuses on a specific theme, highlighting key issues around mental health and the importance of equal access to care and support.
For 2025, the theme of World Mental Health Day set by the World Federation for Mental Health is ‘Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies’.
In 2020, approximately 100 million people worldwide were affected by disaster events. With the rise of extreme weather events, like fires or floods, climate anxiety is a significant worry for young people and older generations across the world. Nearly one-third of disaster-affected people may experience burdensome mental health consequences and vulnerable groups may be at greater risk.
Change Mental Health is committed to providing and improving access to mental health support in the face of catastrophes and emergencies. As one of the biggest providers of mental health support in rural areas such as Highland and Dumfries & Galloway, we know that place-based, community mental health services can improve wellbeing – whether during a catastrophe or in everyday life.
After all, Scotland is in a mental health emergency and it needs action. We are one of 17 leading organisations across the country as part of Scotland’s Mental Health Partnership. As part of the partnership’s manifesto for the upcoming Scottish elections, we are calling for urgent investment, early intervention and prevention, and a stronger varied system of support.
How you can help
There are many ways in which you could help mark World Mental Health Day, which include:
- Spreading awareness: Share the message of World Mental Health Day and this year’s theme with your community. Start conversations, post on social media and encourage your colleagues to consider how mental health services can be accessed, especially in times of catastrophes and emergencies.
- Building resilience in communities: Advocate for stronger, more connected communities that can withstand and recover from crises together. Push for local mental health support to be included in disaster planning and encourage community spaces, like schools, libraries and centres, to offer mental health resources and training.
- Engaging with us: This World Mental Health Day, take the opportunity to support Change Mental Health directly. Get involved by volunteering with us, making a donation or becoming a member. By working together, we can ensure mental health becomes a priority in every workplace.
- Becoming a mental health first aider: Knowing how to listen and respond supportively to someone in crisis can make a huge difference. Change Mental Health offers Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA) training, and you can source these training opportunities through Public Health Scotland, which can help you in gaining confidence on how to help others with their mental health.
How you can get involved
Your donation to Change Mental Health, big or small, helps us to deliver person-centred support to people impacted by stress, burnout and mental illness across Scotland. Make a donation to Change Mental Health today to transform lives.
Joining a challenge event not only allows you to support Change Mental Health and bond with your peers. It also provides a platform to share your own story, creating a powerful narrative that raises awareness and breaks the stigma surrounding mental health.
Sign up to an upcoming challenge event in your area today and help us build a future where no one faces mental illness alone.
Build a mentally healthy workplace with our expert-led training that makes a difference. Help your team to build confidence, strengthen culture and support better mental health at work.
With bitesize courses to more comprehensive training, explore how you can gain practical tools for real-world impact. We offer courses on building resilience, tackling stigma, to how you can become a mental health champion.
support
Our National Advice and Support Service can help you and people you care for with mental health concerns and money worries.
We can link and signpost you to relevant local and national support, including our own Change Mental Health services, as well supporting with debt, grants and benefits.
The service is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm (closed for lunch between 12.30pm to 1.30pm). Contact 0808 8010 515, email advice@changemh.org or fill in the form on the service webpage.
For full details about the service, visit the National Advice and Support Service webpage.
