4th Global Mental Health Advocacy Forum

4th Global Mental Health Advocacy Forum in Iloilo, Philippines.

Last month I had the opportunity to join the 4th Global Mental Health Advocacy Forum in Iloilo, Philippines. It was an incredibly learning experience to understand where the global conversation is focused on when it comes to mental health and our collective needs to create a major change and impact.

We need the current system to change, as it is holding us back and in it’s fragile state. We cannot just use bandaid on a systemic wound. Even though conversations around mental health has become louder over the years, yet it is an issue at the bottom of the pile, receiving merely 2% of the total health budget.

Over the years of attending global mental health forums, it is clear that we need to Demedicalize, Deinstitutionalize, Decolonize, Destigmatize, and Democratize mental health care. Allowing people with lived experiences, and communities to be part of building solutions with strong foundation. Shifting the investment from treatment to building systems that support in the prevention and promotion of mental health care. System that is embedded with urgency, empathy, and commitment.

Our collective mental health will get worse if we do not have a clear plan, vision, action, and agency. Especially with the world becoming even more volatile from geopolitics tension, social polarization, AI, changing social landscape, climate catastrophe, and many other factors.

So how do we move from discussions to actions and from vision to impact?

I am grateful to have met many who are working on the ground to do just that. From research embedded with experts by lived experiences, to grassroot projects harnessing knowledge of communities as the building blocks. It is always inspiring to be in such space to learn from one another, to share, to be completely vulnerable, and to be able to ask for guidance.

Congratulations to Global Mental Health Action Network Dr Antonis Kousoulis MD, DrPH and Divya Sharma and MentalHealthPH Roy Dahildahil for a successful forum.

Thank you to Mental Health Innovation Network (MHIN) Asia Hub for having me to be part of your workshop on “Deconstructing Mental Health Innovations: From Idea to Scaled Impact” and sharing my journey with Sati.

Always lovely to see familiar faces and to continue to be inspired by all of them!

Together we continue.