Mental Health Awareness Week
For 2024, the College used Mental Health Awareness Week to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with serious mental illnesses, or SMIs.
Society may be more open to talking about common mental health problems, like depression or anxiety. But when it comes to SMIs that cause psychoses, stigma is still very present.
Knowledge is power – by increasing your understanding, you can help shape a society that is more compassionate towards people with SMI.
Press releases
‘Discrimination against people with severe mental illness is cutting lives short’ – UK’s top psychiatrist
Dr Lade Smith CBE, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, warns that outcomes for people with severe mental illnesses (SMI), will only get worse unless society champions their right to acceptance and support.
Podcast
Our MHAW podcast featured an open and honest conversation looking at living with schizophrenia. Hosted by Dr Jane Morris, with guest Graham Morgan.
Poetry
Angela McCrimmon was first diagnosed with and SMI when she was 19-years-old. Angela has shared her poem Stand Up, which advocates for people with severe mental illness.
Blog posts
Kate Northcott Spall
Kate Northcott Spall is an award-winning campaigner who is advocating for greater awareness and safety around the use of antipsychotic medication. She has written a blog about her late brother William’s experiences of living with schizophrenia.
Nathan Randles
Nathan Randles, one of the College’s Patient Representatives wrote a powerful blog post - 'Living with a Serious Mental Illness' - about the challenges of growing up with an SMI.
BJPsych journals collection
We published a BJPsych journals collection for Mental Health Awareness Week that focused on stigma and dispelling myths around mental illness.
RCPsych in Parliament
For MHAW we engaged with MPs and Peers and the College was mentioned in a number of debates. This included a Westminster Hall debate on the link between physical and mental health, as well as a debate in the House of Lords, where Peers supported our calls to reform the Mental Health Act.
Resources
Learn more about severe mental illness through our patient resources and videos:
- Video: Schizophrenia
- Video: Bipolar disorder
Our patient resources provide readable, user-friendly and evidence-based information on mental health problems, treatments and other topics, written by qualified psychiatrists with help from patients and carers.