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World Mental Health Day 2024

Introduction

Stigma remains one of the biggest barriers faced by people living with major mental health conditions. It limits access to care, fuels discrimination, and affects everyday life, particularly in work, relationships, and healthcare. To confront this, GAMIAN-Europe launched a dedicated initiative on World Mental Health Day 2024 aimed at challenging harmful stereotypes and promoting greater understanding and acceptance.

Despite growing awareness, people living with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other serious mental health conditions continue to face deeply ingrained stigma. This project builds on GAMIAN-Europe’s commitment to amplify the voices of those with lived experience and to call for a more inclusive, rights-based approach to mental health. By raising awareness and sharing personal perspectives, we aim to shift attitudes, influence policy, and reduce the stigma that still shapes so many lives.

The initiative features a powerful short animation that illustrates how stigma affects real people and calls for greater empathy and inclusion. Alongside this, our detailed report explores personal stories and analyses social media discussions to show how stigma plays out in everyday settings—and how we can counter it. These resources are designed to inspire reflection, encourage discussion, and help build a society where everyone can live free from judgement and discrimination.