Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

It's Mental Health Awareness Week. From May 12th to 18th, this annual event is dedicated to raising awareness of mental health and promoting mental well-being.

What is Mental Health Awareness Week?

It’s been estimated that around 1 in 4 people in England will experience a mental health issue at some point in their life. (1) Mental Health Awareness Week aims to encourage open conversations to reduce the stigma towards mental health.

“It’s an opportunity for individuals, communities, and organisations to come together, share stories, and advocate for better mental health support.”

This year’s theme, set by the Mental Health Foundation, is “Community” to highlight and celebrate communities that support good mental health. (2)

Why community?

Community networks can play a vital role in providing social support and a sense of belonging. Communities can also offer support during difficult life events such as illness or bereavement.

The covid pandemic demonstrated how communities can come together to support each other in times of need. Neighbours were connecting and looking out for each other more than usual and three in four adults said they thought people were doing more to help others since the pandemic. (3)

How can I find out more?

Every year, organisations such as Mental Health UK provide free resources and fact sheets to promote mental health awareness. (4)

The Empathy Project would also like to contribute to the wider conversations surrounding mental health and provide resources to offer insight and support for common mental health problems.

Look out for our future blog posts where we will be sharing some of our latest resources.

References

1. Mcmanus, S., Meltzer, H., Brugha, T., Bebbington, P., & Jenkins, R. (2009). Adult psychiatric morbidity in England, 2007 Results of a household survey. https://doc.ukdataservice.ac.uk/doc/6379/mrdoc/pdf/6379_apms_2007_research_report.pdf

2. Mental Health Awareness Week. (2025). Mental Health Foundation; MHF. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week

3. Stansfield, J. (2020, June). The community response to coronavirus (COVID-19) – UK Health Security Agency. Blog.gov.uk. https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2020/06/01/the-community-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19/#:~:text=The%20response%20to%20coronavirus%20(COVID,%2C%20control%2C%20and%20mutual%20trust.

4. Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 - Mental Health UK. (2025, March 6). Mental Health UK. https://mentalhealth-uk.org/get-involved/mental-health-awareness-days/mental-health-awareness-week/