This year, Mental Health Awareness Week will run from 9-15 May. This annual event, which focuses on improving good mental health across the nation, is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation.
This year’s theme will explore the impact of loneliness and how we can tackle it, following recent research by the Mental Health Foundation that showed that many people have increasingly been suffering from feelings of isolation and loneliness which has led to harmful consequences. They also discovered an increased demand from the public to see loneliness being addressed as a serious topic requiring urgent action.
Kooth and Qwell have produced two guides as part of Mental Health Awareness Week:
- Qwell’s guide to understanding and managing feelings of loneliness (for adults)
- Kooth’s guide to understanding and managing feelings of loneliness (for children and young people)
Every Mind Matters
Given the theme of loneliness, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in partnership with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will continue to encourage people to ‘Lift someone out of loneliness’ as part of the Better Health - Every Mind Matters campaign.
The campaign will continue to point people towards the Every Mind Matters Loneliness webpage, where there is advice for ways to help yourself or others who may be feeling lonely and suggested support routes.