World Mental Health Day asks people to help shape the care they receive

Being asked to tell your story can matter. Being allowed to change what happens next can matter even more.

That is the idea behind this year’s World Mental Health Day, marked on October 10. Its theme, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change,” calls for people who have experienced mental health conditions to help shape the services and policies affecting them.

The World Health Organization’s campaign says people are too often invited to speak about their experiences but left out when decisions are made. It wants participation to include designing services, supporting peer-led approaches and holding systems accountable.

What does lived experience mean?

It means knowledge gained by going through something yourself. A person who has tried to get mental health support may understand barriers that are easy to miss from an office or a planning meeting.

For example, a service can look useful on paper but feel confusing, intimidating or difficult to reach. Asking people who use it to help improve it can reveal problems that a standard feedback form never captures.

This is about adding valuable knowledge to decision-making. It does not mean that one person’s experience represents everyone, or that personal stories replace professional skills and research.

Young people need a place in the conversation

UNICEF USA’s message for the day puts children and adolescents at the centre. It argues that young people’s views should guide action, and that support should be built into schools, healthcare and the community services families already use.

UNICEF says stigma and a lack of accessible services can stop children and families from seeking help. Its work includes youth advisory boards and opportunities for young people to share recommendations directly with policymakers.

For a teenager, that could mean having a say in how school support is offered, how privacy is respected, or what makes asking for help feel safer. Participation becomes meaningful when suggestions can change the service.

Awareness is only the beginning

In its October 10 message, the European Commission highlighted how mental health difficulties can affect relationships, education and work. It linked the observance to the EU’s broader approach to mental health, adopted in 2023.

The Holderness and Hornsea Gazette’s reporting also described the campaign’s call for better community services and greater attention to social and economic pressures.

A day of messages cannot, by itself, shorten waiting lists or make support affordable. Those changes need decisions, resources and follow-through.

The useful question after the posters come down is therefore practical: did the people who rely on a service gain any influence over it? This year’s campaign asks organisations to make the answer visible in the care they provide.