Solent Mind is breaking down mental health stigma by going #BeyondTheLabel for World Mental Health Day 2025
Visit us at Westquay!
Friday 10 October 2025,
Ground floor, 10am - 5pm
Our Beyond The Label campaign tackles common misconceptions about mental health conditions to break down mental health stigma. This campaign is shaped by stories of lived experience, and by sharing them we aim to dispel myths and start positive conversations around mental health in our communities.
It is also a timely reminder that people are more than a label! We think Rebecca said it best when she shared her experiences of bipolar disorder in episode 2 of our podcast, emphasising that "I have bipolar, not I am bipolar".
On World Mental Health Day 2025 (Friday 10 October), we will be showcasing our support for you, including our wellbeing, crisis and employment services, and you'll have the chance to find out about our fundraising challenges where you can support us! There will be an opportunity to get creative and contribute to an interactive art wall around our ‘Beyond the label’ theme, while our staff will be on hand to provide wellbeing tips. You can also talk to us in our dedicated private gazebo area. Come along to find out more!
Our stand will be on the ground floor of Westquay from 10am-5pm and we’d love for you to come and speak to us.
Working in collaboration with Southampton Solent University, the artwork for this campaign was developed by BA Graphic Design students during a workshop led by the Solent Mind marketing team. The brief was to create posters that explore a common misconception around mental health, drawing from the experiences, thoughts and feelings of the students we worked with. We will also be taking over digital billboards across Southampton displaying our #BeyondTheLabel’ campaign, featuring Hermione's design. Keep an eye out from Monday 6 October on our social media channels and across Southampton!
Lucy Dyer, Lead Bid Writer, shares her experience of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how she rediscovered her creative side.
(Content warnings: trauma, ptsd, chronic pain, anxiety)
Read more
Simon shares his experiences of depression and how lived experience participation helped him find his confidence again to become a voice for mental health lived experience.
(Content warnings: su*cidal thoughts, psychosis, assault, being sectioned)
Read more
Kathryn Morley, Peer Support Worker, Southampton, shares her story of living with Bipolar Affective Disorder, navigating episodes from the age of 8.
(Content warnings: su*cidal ideation, depression, psychosis)
Read more
Cause for Conversation is a mental health podcast from Solent Mind. In this episode, Rebecca Wright shares her story and her personal experiences of Bipolar Affective Disorder.
Read more
Mental health affects everyone, everywhere.
We’re all unique and our lives are too, but mental health is a fundamental part of all of us and we're here to make sure that anyone in Hampshire with a mental health problem has somewhere to turn to for advice and support. With Wellbeing Centres across Southampton, Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport, The New Forest and Winchester, find out more about mental health and wellbeing support near you.
Your ideas, insights and experiences matter, and we always encourage people, including Solent Mind staff to come forward and share their stories if they feel comfortable to do so. Not only does this help us break down mental health stigmas and misconceptions, but it can help to start conversations about mental health. Reading the story of someone you know helps people to open up about their own experiences.
Reach out to communications@solentmind.org.uk to share your story.
Please note: the communications inbox is monitored by the communications and marketing team, and we are not able to offer wellbeing advice or mental health support. Please see 'Our Services' page for mental health support available to you: https://www.solentmind.org.uk/support-for-you/our-services/
If you need immediate help, call the Samaritans for free on 116 123, or text ‘HANTS’ to 85258. For any other enquiries, we will respond as soon as possible.
Whether you take on a 10k run, organise a cake sale or set up an event, you’re doing more than just raising vital funds. You’re also joining thousands of others in sending a message that mental health in Hampshire really matters. There are so many different ways you can make a difference!
