25 Years of Mental Health Promotion

25 years of Mental Health Promotion

This year will be the 25th year I have celebrated World Mental Health Day. Today I join the global conversation about mental health. It’s a day to raise awareness, drive positive change, and reflect on the progress we’ve made.

Early in my career WMHD was a huge event where we would bring local support services together to promote awareness and support. At the time not many people really knew a lot about mental health problems, or where to get support. Now my work is to promote awareness of mental health daily. My focus is the adult population in the workplace, where I aim to help organisations upskill their employees to look after themselves and others, and develop a positive workplace culture to help them thrive.

The last 25 years has seen a shift in awareness, conversations and support services, but we still have a long way to go. Mental health services are still very much underfunded and current waiting lists are huge. The need for mental health support has dramatically increased following the challenges of the pandemic, global pressure and politics, financial pressure and the current workplace culture we see today. Most workplaces know the importance of addressing mental health, but it is still seen as a ‘nice to have’ rather than a fundamental aspect of workplace culture.

We know mental illness is the top reason for people being off sick and costs UK businesses £51 billion per year due to presenteeism, sickness absence and loss of talent and skills. There has been a huge increase in burnout, with 74% of UK workers in 2025 experiencing significant levels of burn out.

Workplace need to invest in the mental health and wellbeing of their people now!

Every £1 invested in mental health in the workplace sees a return of £5.40, it will lead to retention of staff and skills, reduce sickness absence and enhanced productivity. We know new starters now ask employers how they are going to look after their wellbeing. Employees need to feel valued, listened to, have a sense of belonging, feel able to be authentic and open in the workplace and their wellbeing needs to be a top priority.

Over the next few years we need to see:

Workplaces prioritising mental health and wellbeing as a top priority, not a tick box exercise or an add on.

Better governmental support and finance for mental health services, so they are able to meet the needs of the population.

Workplaces, communities and schools to enhance their knowledge around mental health so they are able to spot signs and symptoms in themselves and others, and know where to signpost people too.

I am asking you to take positive action TODAY around mental health

If you are a CEO, manage or team member - You have a huge opportunity to role-model positive behaviours around mental health, the chance to embed a positive workplace culture and the opportunity to upskill you workforce with knowledge and training.

If you have family and friends, find out more about mental health so you can look after your own wellbeing, and keep an eye out for family and friends when they may need additional support.

Keep an eye out for positive posts on social media today enhancing your knowledge, understanding and skills around mental health.

What actions are you taking today to build a better culture around mental health?