Raising awareness about mental health

We campaign to raise awareness and tackle stigma and discrimination around mental health. We aim to increase people's knowledge so anyone with a mental health problem receives the respect and understanding they deserve

Turning community awareness into action

Thank you for taking a look at these pages. We hope after reading them you will consider getting involved with our work.

As an organisation, we campaign to raise awareness about mental health so people are more informed and confident about getting support for themselves and others.

We also want to create changes that will challenge stigma. Having conversations and activities that can help people increase their understanding is key to this. We do this through our Open Minds project.

We recruit, train and give on-going support to individuals who have or have had mental health problems. These Open Minds champions are central to our community awareness work

Close up of young woman with log earrings

Our Open Minds champions share their knowledge and insight with others. We are continuing to build on our work with schools, employers and people living in rural areas.

Our collaborative work with smaller and sometimes marginalised communities is very important to us. Community events, workshops and digital activities help us connect with many people.

Experiencing discrimination and stigma around mental health is damaging. It can stop people seeking help and hinder recovery. This is something West Sussex Mind and our growing team of Open Minds champions are passionate about tackling.

Louisa, project manager

We have much more to do and we want to build on the 4,480 people we worked and connected with during 2019 /2020. There are approximately 840,00 people living in West Sussex - see how you can help us turn awareness into action.

Did you know this about mental health stigma?

  • One in four people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year and half of them say that the associated isolation and shame is worse than the condition itself
  • 90% of people with mental health problems report experiencing stigma
  • The majority of people wait over a year before telling their closest family and friends about their mental health problem
  • 65% of people with mental health problems report stigma affecting their friendships
  • 57% of young people say fear of stigma has stopped them applying for a job.

If you'd like to find out more about our work challenging stigma or are interested in becoming involved, we'd love to hear from you

Contact us here

In this section