World Mental Health Day 2025 

Introduction

Stigma continues to be one of the most persistent barriers faced by people living with major mental health conditions. It affects access to care, fuels discrimination, and influences how people are treated in daily life in work, education, healthcare, and relationships. To confront this ongoing challenge, GAMIAN-Europe is proud to launch the Breaking the Stigma Around Mental Health Conversations  World Mental Health Day 2025, reaffirming our commitment to tackling prejudice and promoting a more informed, compassionate, and inclusive understanding of mental health across Europe.

Building on our previous work, this new initiative explores how stigma continues to manifest, particularly through online spaces and social media and how people with lived experience navigate these environments. Our findings show that while harmful stereotypes and misinformation remain widespread, there is also a growing community determined to educate, connect, and challenge discrimination. By amplifying these voices, we aim to inspire action that replaces ignorance with empathy and misunderstanding with truth.

The Breaking The Stigma Project combines rigorous research, lived experience, and creative advocacy. At the heart of this year’s launch is a video that captures the real impact of stigma and the strength of those who live with mental health conditions. Alongside this, our latest report, Breaking the Stigma Around Mental Health Conversations, analyses online discussions, internet search trends, and workshop insights from people with lived experience and mental health professionals. Together, these resources shed light on how stigma spreads and how it can be dismantled through education, open dialogue, and responsible communication.

Launched on World Mental Health Day 2025, this initiative is both a call to action and a message of hope. It encourages policymakers, professionals, and the public to rethink how mental health is discussed, to use language responsibly, and to stand alongside those affected. Through awareness, storytelling, and solidarity, GAMIAN-Europe continues to work toward a Europe where everyone can speak about mental health without fear, judgment, or discrimination.