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World Mental Health Day (10 Oct) is a day to talk about mental health and show everyone that mental health matters. It's also a day to let people know that it's okay to ask for help, no matter what you're going through.

As the theme of World Mental Health Day highlights, 'mental health is a universal human right'. That's why at Mental Health Foundation, we're dedicated to addressing the inequalities in mental health and working towards good mental health for all, not just for some. Read more below.

This year, over 260,000 people have had a Tea & Talk for World Mental Health Day - raising vital funds for mental health! Every donation supports our life-changing work and brings us closer to a world with good mental health for all.
Donate now

Share on social media, at work, or in your community

Join us in raising awareness about mental health on social media by following us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Download images to share on social media or a poster to print:

Whether you wore your green ribbon to show your support, held a Tea & Talk, or got involved another way - we want to hear from you!

Share a photo of what you've been up to on Instagram and tag us at @mentalhealthfoundation.

We know that mental health is a universal human right. But despite this, some groups face more barriers to good mental health than others.

Inequalities in mental health lead to certain groups facing disproportionately higher rates of mental health issues.

This needs to be urgently addressed. And that's why we focus our research, policy & advocacy work, and programmes on the groups most affected. This includes families, young people, people with long-term health conditions, and refugees and asylum seekers.

We drive change towards a mentally healthy society for all, and support communities, families and individuals to live mentally healthier lives.

With prevention at the heart of what we do, we aim to find and address the sources of mental health problems so that people and communities can thrive.
Learn more

Talking about your mental health

1. Choose someone you trust to talk to

This might be a friend, family member or a colleague. Or you might be more comfortable talking to someone you don't know, for example, through a support helpline. It can help to do a pros and cons list about talking to someone.

2. Think about the best place to talk

It's important to choose a place where you feel comfortable enough to open-up. You might want to choose somewhere private where you're less likely to be disturbed. You also might want to talk while you do an activity, like walking together.

3. Prepare yourself for their reaction

Hopefully, you will have a good experience when you open-up to someone. But there's a chance that they may not react in the way you hope. This may be for different reasons, like they may be worried or not fully understand at first. If that's the case, try to give them time to process what you've told them. It might help to give them information to read to help them understand. And don't forget to be kind to yourself and practise self-care.

Talking to someone about their mental health

1. Find a good space to talk without distractions

If you're worried about someone, try to find a place where you know you can have a conversation without being distracted. Make sure to give them your full attention. It might help to switch off your phone.

2. Listen and ask questions

Listening can be one of the most valuable ways to be there for someone. Show them that you're actively listening by facing them, making eye contact, and not interrupting. Questions can help you clarify what they mean and also show that you're actively listening. But make sure the questions are relevant to what they're saying, and not changing the subject.

3. Ask how you can help

Ask how you can help or make suggestions, rather than telling them what to do next. They might want support with making a GP appointment, help around the house, or just for you to keep things normal and chat about what's going on in your life.

References

1. Marmot, M., Allen, J., Goldblatt, P., Boyce, T., McNeish, D., Grady, M., & Geddes, I. (2010). Fair society, healthy lives: Strategic review of health inequalities in England post 2010. Retrieved from instituteofhealthequity.org/projects/ fair-society-healthy-lives-the-marmot-review [Accessed 07/11/16].

2. Eaton, V., Ward, C., Womack, J., & Taylor, A. (2011). Mental Health and Wellbeing in Leeds: An Assessment of Need in the Adult Population. NHS Leeds.

3. Raj, D., Stansfeld, S., Weich, S., Stewart, R., McBride, O., Brugha, T., ... & Papp, M. (2016). Chapter 13: Comorbidity in mental and physical illness. In S. McManus, P. Bebbington, R. Jenkins, & T. Brugha (Eds.), Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital.

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We celebrate World Mental Health Day every year on 10 October. The theme for 2023 is 'Mental health is a universal human right'.

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THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT STORY READ ALOUD

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THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT STORY READ ALOUD

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The Day the Crayons Quit - Animated Read Aloud

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Coping Skills For Kids - Managing Feelings & Emotions For Elementary-Middle School | Self-Regulation

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Anger Management Techniques For Kids - Strategies To Calm Down When Your Temper Rises

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Circle Of Control Activity For Kids - Good Mental Health And Stress Management

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Britain Get Talking is ITV's landmark Mental Wellness campaign encouraged at keeping one another connected while helping improve the quality of conversations.

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THE BOY WITH BIG BIG FEELINGS READ ALOUD

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THE BOY WITH BIG BIG FEELINGS READ ALOUD

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The Boy with Big, Big Feelings - Read Aloud Stories

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When I Feel Overwhelmed: A Video Guide for kids

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Ruby Finds a Worry ~ Anxiety read aloud ~ Children's mental health story time ~ Guidance read aloud

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Student Mental Health Ontario Read Aloud - Whimsy's Heavy Things (English)

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World Mental Health Day is every year on the 10th October. The theme for 2023, set by the World Foundation of Mental Health, is 'Mental health is a universal human right'. In order to explore this theme in schools first we must understand what we mean by mental health. Mental health means feeling and functioning well day to day and overall, also known as flourishing, we all have a universal human right to flourish in life.

So how can you promote mental health in your school on this year's World Mental Health Day? In the video below I share ideas for schools to help them make this important day a success.

Anxiety theme for Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week 2023's theme was Anxiety. Anxious feelings are something that most of us experience at one time or another. But when those worrisome thoughts become overwhelming and begin to affect daily life-from exams, relationships, employment changes to everyday finances-anxiety can flare up into a bigger problem . It's important not only to recognize anxiety in ourselves but also know how best to manage it so we stay on top of our wellbeing.

As many as 1 in 6 children and young people are struggling with diagnosable mental health issues which include anxiety. Much more needs to be done to support the prevention of anxiety in children and young people.

We will update this article with the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 soon!

Mental Health Awareness Week in Schools: Ideas for Teachers and Staff Wellbeing

Mental Health Awareness Week is an important opportunity for us to check in with ourselves, your pupils and colleagues, and to think about what we can do to promote good mental health in our schools.

Here are some simple wellbeing activities that you can do with your staff team to help raise awareness and promote positive mental health in your school community. These would also make great activities for a staff wellbeing INSET day.

1. Why not start the day with a mindful minute? Encourage everyone to take a minute to sit quietly and focus on their breath. This simple mindfulness practice can help to centre ourselves and set a positive tone for the day ahead. This is also a very quick and easy activity to start mental health day with.

2. Take a break! Make sure that everyone takes a proper break for lunch - away from their desks if possible. Eating well and staying hydrated are essential for maintaining good mental health, so encourage your staff to make time for a healthy lunch. Maybe even provide some healthy snacks for them to munch on during the day!

3. Get moving! A little bit of exercise can do wonders for our mental wellbeing, so why not incorporate some gentle movement into the day? Even ten minutes of stretching or walking will make a difference. Alternatively, you could hold a 'virtual' fitness class at the end of the day - there are loads of great options on YouTube.

4. Connect with nature. If you're lucky enough to have outdoor space at your school, make use of it! Spend some time outside in the fresh air, surrounded by nature. If you can't get outside, bring nature into the classroom with some plants or flowers.

5. Check in with each other. At the end of the day, take some time as a team to check in with each other. How are we feeling? What's been tough today? What's been good? This is a chance for everyone to offload any concerns or stressors they might be carrying, and to receive support from their colleagues. Letting things build up can lead to burnout, so this regular check-in is an important part of preventive self-care.

Mental Health Awareness Week: Ideas for Pupils and Students

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Mindfulness is all about being present in the moment and paying attention to your thoughts and feelings without judgement. It's a great way to improve your mental wellbeing, and it's something that everyone can benefit from. Mindfulness is popular in schools a great way to improve mental wellbeing, and it's something that we can all benefit from regardless of our age or experience level.

There are lots of simple mindfulness and wellbeing activities that you can do with your pupils to help them relax and focus on the present moment. Here are just a few ideas:

1. Breathing exercises: Focusing on your breath is a great way to bring your attention to the present moment. You can try out different breathing exercises with your students, such as 4-7-8 breathing (breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, breathe out for 8 counts) or belly breathing (place one hand on your stomach and breathe so that your hand rises and falls with your breath).

2. Sense scavenger hunt: This is a great activity for young children. Get them to pay attention to all of their senses by going on a scavenger hunt around the classroom or school grounds. They can tick things off their list as they find them, such as something that smells nice, something that feels soft, etc.

3. 5 things you can see/hear/touch: This is another mindfulness exercise that is suitable for all ages. Get your students to close their eyes and think of 5 things that they can see, 5 things that they can hear, and 5 things that they can touch. This exercise will help them to focus on the present moment and notice the world around them.

4. Gratitude journal: Encourage your students to start a gratitude journal where they write down 3 things that they're grateful for each day. This could be anything from having a delicious dinner to being able to play with their pet dog. Focusing on the positive things in our lives is a great way to boost our mental wellbeing.

5.Strengths spotting : This activity is all about focusing on our strengths and the positive things about ourselves. Get your students to think of 3 things that they're good at, 3 things that they're proud of, and 3 things that make them happy. This exercise will help boost their self-esteem and confidence essential for mental health and wellbeing

Mental Health Day #HelloYellow, Supporting Children and Young People

An important campaign on or around mental health day is #HellowYellow this is a campaign by the mental health charity YoungMinds, which encourages everyone to wear yellow on World Mental Health Day (10th October) to show their support for young people's mental health.

There are lots of ways that you can get involved with Hello Yellow at your school. Here are just a few ideas:

Encourage everyone to wear yellow on World Mental Health Day.

Make yellow ribbons to hand out or sell.

Hold a yellow non-uniform day and ask for donations.

Bake sale - make and sell yellow cakes or biscuits.

Sponsor a child to take part in a sponsored activity such as a sponsored walk or silence.

Wear something yellow every day for the whole week leading up to World Mental Health Day.

Making Mental Health a Priority Every Day

Mental Health Awareness day or week is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of mental health issues and start important conversations with pupils, staff and parents. However, it's important to make mental health a priority every day, not just on one day of the year. There are lots of simple things that you can do to support mental health in your school community:

1. Continue to encourage open conversation about mental health between staff, pupils and parents.

2. Share information and resources about mental health, such as articles, books, websites, helplines which can be shared through mental health displays and notice boards and newsletters. Download our free poster for sharing mental health strategies with pupils here.

3. Promote healthy coping mechanisms for stress and anxiety, such as exercise, relaxation techniques, self-care and resilience etc.

4. Encourage positive thinking and self-compassion with activities that support the development of well-being and resilience.

5. Plan opportunities to embed mental health into the curriculum through implicit and explicit teaching of wellbeing and resilience strategies.

6. Continue to foster a sense of belonging, community and connectedness within the school environment.

7. Support staff and pupils to find opportunities that develop autonomy, relatedness and competence, also known as self-determination theory - the key human needs for wellbeing.

8. Most importantly, continue to check in with pupils, staff and parents to see how they're doing and offer support where needed.

9. Prioritise staff wellbeing as part of your whole school approach. Without good staff mental health and wellbeing it is almost impossible to have good student wellbeing.

Whatever you decide to do to continue to focus on school mental health beyond mental health awareness day through your whole school approach, you must do it consistently and develop a shared understanding of strategies that protect mental health and develop wellbeing for all.

Final Thoughts and Tips

Mental Health Awareness Day is an important opportunity for us all to prioritise mental wellbeing for the whole school community.

Making mental health a priority every day will help to create a positive school environment that supports the mental health and wellbeing of everyone in the community.

If you would like to learn more about our approach to whole school mental health and wellbeing access our free leading whole school mental health workshop inside our wellbeing academy.

If you would like to learn practical activities that improve mental health and wellbeing enrol on our Wellbeing Toolkit Course. If you need support to lead a strategic approach to school mental health then access our SMHL Wellbeing Pathway course inside our DfE assured Wellbeing Club.

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Mental Health Awareness Day: Wellbeing Ideas and Activities for Schools

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World Mental Health Awareness Day is a great opportunity for schools to prioritise mental health for pupils, staff, teachers and the whole school community. Find out a range of practical wellbeing activities and ideas for students or staff.

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Childhood Trauma and the Brain | UK Trauma Council

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Mental health advice for parents - how to support your child

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Mental health advice for parents - how to support your child

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Mental health advice for parents - how you can support your child

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Mental health advice to help you support your child, at school and at home, from BBC Bitesize Parents' Toolkit.

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Support for anxiety

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HOW TO SUPPORT SOMEONE ELSE WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH

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HOW TO SUPPORT SOMEONE ELSE WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH

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We all go through tough times, and people help us through them. Other times we worry about other people's mental health.
Whether they are a friend, family member or colleague, there are many ways to support somebody you care about.

Through our research-based mental health information and advice, and ongoing programmes and policy work, we want to help people look after their mental health, prevent more serious problems from developing and help everyone live mentally healthy lives.

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Supporting someone else with their mental health

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We all go through tough times, and people help us through them. Other times we worry about other people's mental health. Whether they are a friend, family member or colleague, there are many ways to support somebody you care about.

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HOW TO LOOK AFTER YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH

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HOW TO LOOK AFTER YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH

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We all have 'mental health', just as we all have 'physical health'. And just like our physical health, we can all have times when our mental health is better than others.
We believe prevention is better than cure, so we want to help people look after their mental health and prevent more serious mental health problems from developing.

We also have plenty of evidence of the things that can help us all live mentally healthy lives.

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We all have 'mental health', just as we all have 'physical health'. And just like our physical health, we can all have times when our mental health is better than others. We believe prevention is better than cure, so we want to help people look after their mental health and prevent more serious mental health problems from developing.

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Welcome to the Mindfulness Hub

With the pandemic still creating lots of anxiety and stress, it's more important than ever to look after your children's wellbeing. This year we've got Dr Ranj an NHS doctor, and Cbeebies presenter onboard to help us all to wind down and relax with a special exercise, and resources from Twinkl below.

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Welcome to the Mindfulness Hub With the pandemic still creating lots of anxiety and stress, it's more important than ever to look after your children's wellbeing. This year we've got Dr Ranj an NHS doctor, and Cbeebies presenter onboard to help us all to wind down and relax with a special exercise, and resources from Twinkl below.

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"kids yoga" "yoga for kids" "yoga for children yoga story for kids" "children's yoga" "yoga adventure for kids" "kindergarten yoga" "preschool yoga" "kids me...

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YOGA | MINDFULNESS | RELAXATION FOR KIDS! Screentime that gives kids SUPERPOWERS! ⬇️ D O W N L O A D T H E C O S M I C K I D S A P P ⬇️ 🍏Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cosmic-kids/ 🛍️Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cosmickids 🖥️ Desktop (great for teachers!): https://app.cosmickids.com/ 📺 Roku: https://rb.gy/44r8d -------------------------------------------------------------------- Why watch on the App?

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10 WAYS FOR PARENTS TO HELP CHILDREN COPE WITH CHANGE

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10 WAYS FOR PARENTS TO HELP CHILDREN COPE WITH CHANGE

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This may be useful for year 6 parents helping their children with transition to secondary school.

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The partnership of GPs, link workers and community groups working together to provide a holistic approach to health and wellbeing is called Wellbeing Liverpool. You can ask your GP to refer you to a link worker to put together a personalised health and wellbeing plan for you

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A collection of short films presented by Dr Radha Moghil that explore a whole range of feelings and emotions, as well as providing talking points and tools to feel better.

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A collection of short films presented by Dr Radha Moghil that explore a whole range of feelings and emotions, as well as providing talking points and tools to feel better. These clips are suitable for use with children at Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Scotland. It is also suitable for teaching PSHE at KS1 and Health and Wellbeing at Early and 1st Level.

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A collection of short films presented by Dr Radha Moghil that explore a whole range of feelings and emotions, as well as providing talking points and tools to feel better.

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BBC Teach. Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources

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BBC Teach. Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources

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Mentally Healthy Schools - A website bringing together quality-assured mental health resources, information and advice for schools and further education settings in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

What's Up With Everyone? - A campaign featuring a series of animated videos - co-produced with and for young people - aiming to increase mental health literacy.

Children in Need - Children in Need's 'Behind the Bandana' campaign for Mental Health Awareness Week sees Pudsey removing his bandana to show that mental health issues are often less visible. The website features a downloadable pack for schools in English and Welsh.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. By clicking the link to access the external website you will be redirected. Please note that the BBC is not the data controller of the personal data you enter into the external website and it is not responsible for the services provided by any external organisation. When using an external website, you are subject to their terms and conditions and privacy policy.

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Mental Health and Wellbeing - Teaching Resources

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To support your class and promote the importance of mental wellbeing we've created this collection of teaching resources for use with both primary and secondary students.

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Find information and support for your mental health.

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Resources for Schools

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While rates of mental ill health do increase as children get older, early intervention is key to giving young people the best start in life.

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Providing mental health and emotional wellbeing services for Merseyside's children, young people (aged 5-25 years old) and families

Providing mental health and emotional wellbeing services for Merseyside's children, young people (aged 5-25 years old) and families

Providing mental health and emotional wellbeing services for Merseyside's children, young people (aged 5-25 years old) and families

Providing mental health and emotional wellbeing services for Merseyside's children, young people (aged 5-25 years old) and families

Providing mental health and emotional wellbeing services for Merseyside's children, young people (aged 5-25 years old) and families

How are you feeling today?

Click the emoji that best describes how your feeling today.

Serving a Merseyside population of over 150,000 children and young people. YPAS delivers a wide range of wellbeing and therapeutic services for children, and young people aged 5 to 25 years old and their parents and families. Our citywide services consist of individual support and open access groups. They are delivered from: three community hubs, primary schools, secondary schools and GP practices and other community education settings.

Each and every one of us has mental health and it's just as important to look after it, as we do our physical health.

Open Access Groups Calendar

Thank you ever so much to Hannah for your support over the last few months.
Parent/Carer

Thank you YPAS, firstly as a whole for the service you provide. Thank you for letting Lilly come and see you when needed. Special thank you to Dagmar for literally everything she has done for Lilly. We are so grateful. Thank you.
Young Person Aged 14

I received amazing support specifically from Paul. He made the process easy and efficient after waiting months trying to do it alone. Extremely grateful having accessed the service and at the amazing support I've received.
Young Person Aged 23

My son has recently finished therapy with YPAS and even though it was difficult to get him to engage with her due to his disability she was brilliant with him. She was patient, understanding and very supportive. Thank you for all your help and support.
Parent/Carer

I have been working with grace and I am feeling so much better in myself thank you Grace. :)
Young Person Aged 18

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YPAS delivers a wide range of wellbeing and therapeutic services for children, and young people aged 5 to 25 years old and their parents and families.

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CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

CAMHS is the name for the NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.

CAMHS support covers depression, problems with food and eating, self-harm, abuse, violence or anger, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety, among other difficulties.

There are local NHS CAMHS services around the UK, with teams made up of nurses, therapists, psychologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists (medical doctors specialising in mental health), support workers and social workers, as well as other professionals.

The first step to getting help from CAMHS is usually that you will be referred for a CAMHS assessment. This referral can come from your parents/carers, a teacher, GP, or yourself if you are old enough (depending on where you live).

If you're being supported by social care, a youth offending team, or a service at your school, they might also be able to refer you.

It's important to tell the person referring you as much as you can so you can get the help you need.

Most local CAMHS teams have a website where you can look up how to get access to their service.

After you have been referred, you will be put on a waiting list for an initial appointment (often known as an 'assessment'). This may sound scary, but it's normally just a chat so the CAMHS team can get to know you a bit and see how they can help.

At this appointment, you will normally meet one or two members of the CAMHS team. If you're under 16 years old, your parent(s) or carer(s) will usually be invited to join for part of this meeting.

This appointment will generally take place at a CAMHS clinic. But, in some circumstances, they may meet with you at your school or home. They will discuss with you the best place to meet before your appointment.

When you meet, the team will ask you questions to understand what you are struggling with and to get a better idea of what support you need.

Here are some common questions the CAMHS team may ask in an assessment:

What has brought you to CAMHS?

How long have you experienced the problem that has brought you to CAMHS?

What would you like to change in your life?

What might help tackle the problems you are experiencing?

How have you been feeling recently?

Try to be as open and honest as possible at your first appointment. These people are not mind readers and if you lie, you will not receive the best treatment plan for you to get better.

Hannah

At the end of the session, the team will talk to you about what happens next and what support they think you might need. You can also ask any questions you may have.

They may talk about your 'treatment' - this just means what you'll do together to help you get better.

If you would feel more comfortable having a parent or carer in the room with you during your assessment, that's fine. You can also see the team by yourself if you would prefer, though staff may expect a parent to be present for part of the meeting.

Also, if you or your parent/carer is not confident speaking English, CAMHS can provide an interpreter to help. Just let them know if this is the case.

It's important at your CAMHS assessment to try and be as honest as possible, as this will help the team assessing you understand how to support you.

Here are some things that are helpful for you to tell them:

when your problems started

what you'd like to change

if there's a pattern in the problems (keeping a diary or log book before your assessment can be really helpful to show this)

any difficulties in school or with friends

any general health problems, either now or in the past

any big family events or issues like divorce or bereavement

any recent or past trauma, e.g. emotional, sexual or physical abuse

other services you've had help from, like social care, hospital or private treatments

Going to CAMHS is a massive step and you should be so proud of yourself in acknowledging you need support.

Have a look at our medication pages for more information.

I was convinced that moving to adult services was the end of the world. BUT here I am, two years down the line, and I can tell you that I survived and that it was okay.

Whether you love the page or think something is missing, we appreciate your feedback. It all helps us to support more young people with their mental health.

Please be aware that this form isn't a mental health support service. If you are in crisis right now and want to talk to someone urgently, find out who to contact on our urgent help page.

At YoungMinds we take your privacy seriously. If you'd like to read more about how we keep the information we collect safe, take a look at our privacy policy.

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CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) or CYPMHS treat young people with emotional, behavioural and mental health needs. Read our advice.