Coercion in psychiatry drives people away from the help they need. It perpetuates power imbalances, deepens stigma, and violates the rights of persons with disabilities. The goal is to end forced treatment, to replace substitute decision-making with genuine, supported autonomy, including in crisis.

Returning to work after a mental illness takes more than goodwill. It takes coordination, flexibility, phased re-entry, ongoing support, and managers who are trained to help. #MentalHealth #WorkplaceWellbeing #ReturnToWork #PsychosocialSupport

Workplace stress often comes from ambiguity, not just workload. Clear roles, meaningful tasks, and the effective use of people's skills create the sense of control and purpose that mental well-being at work depends on. #MentalHealth #WorkplaceWellbeing #JobSatisfaction

Bullying, harassment, and workplace abuse violate human rights and cause lasting mental-health harm. Policies aren’t enough; we need safe reporting, anti-retaliation measures, and prompt, sincere intervention. Protection for less powerful workers is a right. #WorkplaceSafety

Universal programmes can't meet every need. Older adults, people with disabilities, and those with complex mental health conditions need tailored, home-based support to live independently in their communities. Specialized, consent-based care is essential—this is rights-based support. #MentalHealth

Old-age poverty is a mental-health issue. Financial insecurity fuels depression and anxiety in older adults, yet policy often ignores it. Adequate pensions, flexible retirement, and support are mental-health interventions. #MentalHealth #Ageing #HealthEquity #OlderAdults

Mental health must be integrated across government, not just health ministries, through coordinated action, real budgets, clear targets, and people with lived experience. Lasting development must include mental health. #MentalHealth #HealthEquity #HumanRights #GlobalHealth

Quality mental health care requires more than good intentions. It demands evidence-based practice, genuine collaboration with service users, & an end to coercion and forced admissions. Community-led psychosocial services are the foundation of care that actually works. #MentalHealth #HealthEquity

Scaling mental health care is pointless if it expands the wrong kind of care. Rights-based systems must be integrated, community-led, and go beyond a biomedical model. The shift is from institutionalization to inclusion. #MentalHealth #HealthEquity #HumanRights #CommunityHealth

Engaging in mental health services remains new and debated, with significant power imbalances. To change this, we need to invest in peer support, self-advocacy, co-production, and civil society organizations to rebuild trust. #MentalHealth #PeerSupport #TrustRebuilding

WHO Mental Health Intercountry Learning Workshop Our team will participate in and present at the upcoming WHO Mental Health Intercountry Learning Workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa. We look forward to working together to support rights-based, community-informed approaches to mental health.

Mental health systems cannot be built for people without people. Meaningful participation, especially from those in vulnerable situations, is not optional. That means real seats at real tables, in policy, in law, in health services, and in every decision that affects people's lives.

Discrimination does not just cause poor mental health. It denies people the right to mental health. In families, schools, workplaces, & written into laws and policies, harmful stereotypes & stigma close off the support and connection that wellbeing requires. #MentalHealth #HealthEquity #HumanRights

Meta commissioned its own study of over 1,000 mental health clinicians. The results showed that the professionals treating young people every day believe social media worsens anxiety, worsens depression, and can be addictive. #MentalHealth #YouthWellbeing

A 2024 survey of US school principals found that only 1.3% think concerns about smartphones and social media are overblown. Most are seeing depression, anxiety, distraction, and bullying play out in their own schools every day. Educators are witnesses too. #MentalHealth #YouthWellbeing #Education

Unlike the alarm over comic books in the 1950s, parents today are observing real changes in their children's behaviour, moods, and sleep, and connecting those changes to social media. The World Happiness Report 2026 recognizes what families already know. #MentalHealth #YouthWellbeing #socialmedia

Our April newsletter is out! Use the link below to access it. buff.ly/Y1eA2Oj

When individuals anticipate stigma in healthcare settings, they do not internalize it; they adapt, avoid, or disengage to cope. This negative outcome is an indication of a system that forces resilience where it should provide safety. #HealthResearch #MentalHealthData #InclusiveHealthcar

Peer support is not supplementary to mental health care. It is central to it. When systems trust people with lived experience, outcomes improve. Open Dialogue and Soteria House are proof. #PeerSupport #RecoveryOriented #LivedExperience

Community-led psychosocial services are not a compromise. They are a rights-based approach. When care is embedded in safe, affirming spaces, people seek support early and stay engaged. That is what quality looks like. #MentalHealthRights #PersonCenteredCare

The greatest threat to quality mental health services is not always a lack of resources. It is the misuse of what exists. Coercion, forced admissions, and inappropriate prescribing are systemic failures, not exceptions. #EvidenceBasedCare #PersonCenteredCare

Racial bias and disability shape who gets referred, diagnosed, and supported. These are not individual failures. They are systemic. Inclusive language in mission statements is not enough. Policy must follow. #MentalHealthRights #LivedExperience

🌍✨ Happy Earth Day! ✨🌱 Today, we celebrate our planet and the importance of caring for both it and ourselves. Just as the Earth needs nurturing, so do we. Take the time to explore, find the words, and reflect on ways to care for yourself and the planet! 💚 🔗Canva link: canva.link/jr9k7yl76xfh...

Discrimination shapes who gets mental health care, how it is delivered, and who is left out. Addressing it is not optional. It is the foundation of equity. #MentalHealthJustice #LivedExperience #SystemsChange

Our Europe/Eastern Mediterranean region has developed some practical tips that may help to promote rewarding, virtual connections and ensure respect and relational safety. Thanks to Karli Montague-Cardoso & Živilė Valuckienė for leading this initiative.

Quality standards in mental health services mean nothing without independent oversight. #MentalHealthPolicy #CRPD #HumanRightsStandards

Recording of the UPSIDES Webinar | Now Available Peer support continues to shape more inclusive and recovery-oriented mental health systems, bringing lived experience to the forefront. 🎥Watch here: youtu.be/JN8KJpnvVtc 🔗Learn more here: www.upsides.org/project/ #PeerSupport #UPSIDES #MGMH #avesMH

One of the most practical things an organisation can do to protect people's well-being is to allow employees to have a say in how their work is structured. #WorkplaceMentalHealth #JobDesign #BurnoutPrevention

For people with mental health conditions, prison often makes things worse. Diversion programmes and restorative justice exist. The evidence supports them. The barrier is political will, not proof. #MentalHealthJustice #RestorativeJustice #SystemsChange

Prison environments shape mental health. Overcrowding, noise, poor sanitation, and lack of sunlight can intensify distress and conflict. Safer spaces, recreation, and fresh air create calmer environments for both inmates and staff. #PrisonReform #MentalHealthPolicy #JusticeSystems

We talk a lot about rehabilitation. But how often do we actually fund it? Education and vocational training inside prisons reduces reoffending, violence, and improves mental health outcomes. The will to provide resources is the harder ask. What would it take to make this the rule, not the exception?

We are proud to share a publication of a new paper in PLOS Mental Health titled: Held but not healed - Why coercive practices undermine Mental Health & Wellness by our Global Network Manager, Sandra Ferreira. Access the paper here: journals.plos.org/mentalhealth...

Care without accountability is control. We need independent oversight bodies with the power to inspect facilities and enforce human rights standards. Healing spaces must be safe spaces. #MentalHealthReform #HumanRights #Healthcare

Our Asia-Oceania Region chaired by Shreyus Sukhija & Souradeep Chakraborty, shares this position statement titled: Integrating Lived Experience as a core Methodology for Mental Health Research in the Asia-Oceania Region. Click on the link to read the statement: www.aves-mh.org/Research%20P...

Meeting people where they are, not where the system expects them to be, is how real support works. Housing stability and mental health are the same conversation. #OutreachMatters #MentalWellbeing #SocialCare

We were honored to host Professor Michael Ashley Stein for an insightful and impactful webinar on advancing global disability rights. You may watch the recording here: youtu.be/M6ZUyVZ9nF0

Peer support brings the expertise of lived experience into mental health services, offering meaningful support to others on their recovery journey Join to explore how lived experience is shaping more inclusive, recovery-oriented mental health care globally Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

You can't heal in a place that doesn't feel safe. Housing insecurity is a mental health crisis, and treating it separately means failing the people who need both. #MentalHealth #HousingJustice #HousingFirst

This World Health Day, we are reminded that caring for ourselves is not a luxury, it is a necessity and a right. Mental health is health, and every person deserves access to support, understanding, and compassion. Together, we can create a culture where seeking help is a sign of strength. #avesMH

Data without diversity is a blind spot. People with lived experience of mental health conditions belong in the room where equity is measured, not just where it's discussed. #PolicyMatters #MentalHealthAdvocacy #InclusiveLeadership

Policies developed without the people they affect will always miss the mark. Mental health, equity, and inclusion are important conversations that must happen to put lived experience at the center. #MentalHealth #SocialEquity #InclusionMatters

Our March newsletter is out! Use the link below to access it. buff.ly/rBxpITu

Is the rise in mental health conditions real, or are we pathologizing normal human experience? Both conversations matter. Research confirms the increase is largely real and sustained. Awareness, while powerful, can sometimes blur the line between ordinary stress and a diagnosable condition.

Our African region chaired by Philani Ama Kinyabo hosted a session on the Tree of Life exercise. Participants described the experience as emotional, therapeutic and transformative. Themes of family, healing and resilience came through strongly and many reflected on how far they've come.

What good is a mental health plan that remains on paper? According to the Mental Health Atlas 2024, only 16% of countries have fully allocated financial resources to implement their policies. Behind every percentage point is a person who needed support and did not get it. We can and must do better.

Reintegrating into civilian life isn't a healthcare issue. It's about housing, financial stability, education, career pathways, and genuine belonging in the community. Veterans and their families deserve a full ecosystem of support, not prescriptions. Our policies must reflect that. #VeteranSupport

Defense institutions play a vital role in addressing the mental health impacts of trauma & civilian reintegration. We must support our veterans through comprehensive policy changes and dedicated services. #VeteransHealth #MentalHealth #MilitaryTransition

To protect service members' mental health, we must transform military culture. This means enforcing strong safeguards against abuse & discrimination, while breaking the stigma around seeking help. #MilitaryCulture #MentalHealthAwareness #Veterans

Supporting veterans means offering pre-deployment resilience training & post-deployment reintegration support. Access to rights-based, trauma-informed mental health services & suicide prevention programs is non-negotiable. #VeteransAffairs #TraumaInformedCare

Military families serve too. Comprehensive mental health policy must include targeted support for families throughout the deployment cycle, alongside peer support & anti-stigma education for service members. #MilitaryFamilies #MentalHealthLiteracy