What does Care Not Custody mean to you? 8.4 million people are admitted to mental health hospitals every year. Yet, 73% of countries have yet to align their mental health laws with international human rights standards. Today at #WHA79, in partnership with the Global Mental Health Action Network, we are officially launching Care Not Custody - a global campaign to dismantle outdated institutional systems and replace them with rights-based, community-led support. Mental health care must be rooted in dignity, autonomy, and community inclusion - not coercion and restraint. 🎥 Watch the campaign trailer below. 📣 Take Action: Join the movement and help us ensure that "Care Not Custody" becomes the global standard for mental health care. 👉 Visit the campaign page: https://lnkd.in/eU3-BWpi #CareNotCustody #MentalHealth #HumanRights #Deinstitutionalisation

8.4 million people are admitted to psychiatric institutions every year. It’s time to bring them home. Across the globe, outdated laws and systems are failing us. Instead of community support, millions are met with coercion. Instead of recovery, they are met with walls. 🎙️ That’s the conversation kicking off Mind. Set. Go!, our new short podcast series exploring the people, ideas and action shaping global mental health. For episode one, Ali Hasnain, UnitedGMH’s deinstitutionalisation lead, speaks with Dr. Mark van Ommeren, Director of Mental Health at the World Health Organization, about deinstitutionalisation (DI) - moving mental health care out of institutions and into communities, where people can live with dignity, rights and the support they need. 🔈 Listen to the full episode of Mind. Set. Go! on Spotify 👉 https://lnkd.in/esahjErV or SoundCloud 👉 https://lnkd.in/eB5HpfZP

🌍 At this year’s World Health Assembly, suicide prevention received unprecedented attention, with countries sharing life-saving approaches and growing support for suicide decriminalisation. But progress is not guaranteed. As momentum builds in countries like Nigeria, recent developments in Pakistan serve as a reminder that legal reform requires ongoing commitment and vigilance. ✍️ In this reflection, our colleague Shayni Geffen explores the key wins, challenges, and what comes next for the global movement to ensure people experiencing suicidal distress are met with care, not punishment. 📖 Read the blog: https://lnkd.in/dmw_xQAe

“When the heat follows you everywhere, at home, at work, even in your sleep. It wears you down in ways people don’t talk about” Members of our Lived Experience Advisory Group shared powerful reflections on how extreme heat affects mood, sleep, coping, and connection. That is why urgent action is needed to ensure that the mental well-being of communities is reflected in heat policies. Read on https://lnkd.in/edSEk6F2 Watch the full webinar https://lnkd.in/eBqa3CNr #MentalHealth #ExtremeHeat #HeatAction #ClimateAdaptation

🎙️Whose expertise counts when shaping mental health care? People with lived experience of mental health conditions bring knowledge that cannot be gained through clinical training alone. Yet their contributions are still too often treated as less important than those of mental health professionals. In our first episode of Mind. Set. Go!, UnitedGMH's Ali Hasnain asks Dr. Mark van Ommeren, Director of Mental Health at the World Health Organization, how we can challenge this thinking. His response offers an important reminder: lived experience and professional expertise are both needed. ▶️ Watch the conversation and listen to the full episode of Mind. Set. Go!: 🎧 SoundCloud: https://lnkd.in/eB5HpfZP 🎧 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dEt3JWG6 #MentalHealth #Deinstitutionalisation #WMHD2026

🚨 Maternal mental health is a global emergency hidden in plain sight. It's a leading driver of maternal morbidity. So why, on the global stage, is there such striking silence? Today is World Maternal Mental Health Day. The world must not simply mark the day. Those with the power to do so must fund the solution. At #WD2026, our message was simple: If it’s not budgeted, it’s not a priority. We’re done with the margins. Powered by the support of Bukhman Philanthropies, we're working to advocate for better mental health support for women during and after pregnancy. ➡️ Read Yves' full dispatch from Melbourne on why "showing up" for women requires a system redesign: https://lnkd.in/d8AxnrSz #maternalMHmatters #StrongerTogether

The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a new resolution recognising the importance of mental health as an integral part of our health. It emphasises: ➡️Mental health in emergencies ➡️Equitable access & digital inclusion ➡️Community, evidence and human rights-based services ➡️Training and professional standards ➡️Child and youth development You can learn more here 👇 https://lnkd.in/d53ge76j

Introducing our #WellbeingTip series - short, actionable video tips delivered by Global Mental Health Action Network members from around the world. Because there are simple, everyday things you can do to maintain your mental wellbeing. Our first tip is “Make one personal connection a day.” This simple tip from Don Zane Muwanguzi carries so much power. In a world that moves quickly, it’s easy to forget how much a single moment of connection can shift our day. A check‑in. A shared smile. These small acts strengthen our resilience, remind us we’re not alone, and help build the supportive communities we all need to thrive. Are you a mental health advocate? Join 10,000 advocates in over 170 countries. Visit GMHAN.org/join today. #MentalHealth

Mental health is gaining momentum but progress depends on sustainable investment 💰  Ahead of the upcoming Third International Financing Dialogue on NCDs and Mental Health, James Sale from United for Global Mental Health, outlines areas of focus for mental health in his blog for the Global Week for Action. You can find it here: https://heyor.ca/k9IlWp