Mental Health Advocacy: What We Can Learn from Other Countries

10 February 2025

Mental health has long been a global issue, but advocacy for mental well-being is finally gaining the attention it deserves. While many countries are just starting to recognize the importance of mental health, others are leading the charge with innovative and effective approaches to mental health advocacy. There's a lot we can learn from countries that prioritize mental well-being — from proactive public policies to inclusive community programs.

But here’s the million-dollar question: How do we catch up and implement these lessons in a way that resonates with our own culture? In this article, we’ll dive deep into mental health advocacy around the world and explore what we can learn from other countries to improve mental health care everywhere.

Why Mental Health Advocacy Matters

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of what other countries are doing, let’s take a step back. Why does mental health advocacy matter in the first place? Well, mental health affects every single aspect of our lives — from our relationships to our jobs to our physical health. Yet, for a long time, mental health has been stigmatized, overlooked, or outright ignored.

Advocacy is the key to changing this. It’s about raising awareness, reducing stigma, and pushing for policies that prioritize mental health care. It’s about creating a world where mental health is treated with the same urgency and care as physical health.

But advocacy doesn’t look the same everywhere. Different countries have different challenges, resources, and cultural attitudes toward mental health. And that’s where things get interesting.

Lessons from the Leaders: Countries Paving the Way in Mental Health Advocacy

1. Finland: A National Focus on Early Intervention

Finland is often hailed as one of the happiest countries in the world, but they don’t take mental health for granted. One of the key ways Finland tackles mental health is through early intervention programs, particularly for children and adolescents.

Why is this important? Well, many mental health issues start in childhood or adolescence, and the earlier you intervene, the better the outcomes. Finland’s education system plays a big role here. Teachers are trained to recognize signs of mental distress, and schools have mental health professionals on staff to provide support.

In addition, Finland has a comprehensive nationwide mental health strategy that focuses on prevention. They understand that it's much easier—and cheaper—to prevent mental health issues from escalating than to treat them once they’ve become severe.

What Can We Learn?

Early intervention is key. By investing in mental health screening and education at an early age, we can help reduce the long-term impact of mental health issues. Schools, workplaces, and communities could all benefit from adopting a preventive approach, rather than waiting for a crisis to occur.

2. Australia: Destigmatizing Mental Health Through National Campaigns

Australia has made significant strides in mental health advocacy through its public awareness campaigns. Organizations like Beyond Blue and R U OK? have been instrumental in destigmatizing mental health issues and encouraging open conversations about mental health.

The R U OK? campaign, for instance, focuses on the power of a simple conversation. It encourages friends, family members, and colleagues to check in with one another regularly. This not only helps identify those who may be struggling but also normalizes talking about mental health.

Australia also has a strong focus on suicide prevention, with national strategies in place that involve community outreach, crisis intervention, and post-crisis support.

What Can We Learn?

Public awareness campaigns work. Creating a culture where people feel comfortable talking about their mental health is crucial. The more we talk about it, the less stigma there is, and the more people will feel safe seeking help when they need it. We can all take a page from Australia’s book by encouraging open conversations in our workplaces, schools, and social circles.

3. The United Kingdom: Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care

In the UK, mental health care is increasingly being integrated into primary care services. This means that when you go to the doctor for a physical health issue, your mental health is also part of the conversation. The NHS (National Health Service) has made mental health services more accessible through initiatives like the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program, which provides free, evidence-based therapy for common mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

What’s particularly impressive about the UK’s approach is the emphasis on accessibility. The IAPT program is designed to be easily accessible, with a focus on reducing waiting times for therapy. The goal is to make mental health care as routine as a visit to your GP.

What Can We Learn?

Mental health care should be integrated into our overall health care system. It shouldn’t be something separate or treated as an afterthought. By making mental health services more accessible and reducing barriers to care, we can help ensure that more people get the help they need when they need it.

4. Canada: Mental Health in the Workplace

Canada has been a trailblazer in advocating for mental health in the workplace. The National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace is the first of its kind in the world. This voluntary standard provides guidelines for organizations to create a mentally healthy workplace, focusing on prevention, promotion, and intervention.

The standard encourages employers to recognize the importance of mental health in the workplace and to take steps to reduce mental health risks. This includes creating supportive environments, offering mental health resources to employees, and actively working to reduce workplace stressors.

What Can We Learn?

Mental health isn’t just a personal issue — it’s a workplace issue too. Employers play a huge role in shaping the mental health of their employees, and by creating safe, supportive working environments, they can help reduce the risk of mental health issues. We can learn from Canada’s example by advocating for mental health policies and practices in our own workplaces.

5. Japan: Community-Based Mental Health Care

Japan has developed a unique approach to mental health advocacy, focusing on community-based care. Due in part to the country’s long-standing stigma surrounding mental health, Japan has historically struggled with mental health care. But in recent years, the government has shifted its focus to community-based programs that aim to provide mental health support in more familiar, less formal settings.

For example, many local governments have implemented “gatekeeper” training programs to teach community members — from bartenders to postal workers — how to recognize the signs of mental health distress and how to connect individuals with the appropriate resources.

Additionally, Japan has made strides in providing better care for its elderly population, many of whom suffer from mental health issues like depression and dementia due to isolation.

What Can We Learn?

Community care matters. Mental health isn’t just a medical issue; it’s a social one. By involving communities in mental health care, we can create networks of support that make it easier for people to seek help. Imagine how much easier it would be to talk about your mental health if you knew your community supported you.

How Can We Apply These Lessons?

It’s clear that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to mental health advocacy. But the lessons we can learn from countries like Finland, Australia, the UK, Canada, and Japan provide a roadmap for how we can improve mental health care in our own communities.

Here are a few practical ways to apply these lessons:

1. Invest in Early Intervention: Start mental health education and screening programs in schools and communities. The earlier we can identify mental health issues, the better the outcomes.

2. Run Public Awareness Campaigns: Encourage open conversations about mental health through national and local campaigns. The more we talk about mental health, the less stigma there is.

3. Integrate Mental Health into Routine Health Care: Make mental health care a part of regular doctor visits and health checkups. It should be as routine as getting your blood pressure checked.

4. Create Mentally Healthy Workplaces: Advocate for workplace policies that support mental health, like flexible work hours, mental health days, and access to counseling services.

5. Build Community-Based Programs: Train community members to recognize signs of mental health distress and create support networks. Sometimes, the best help comes from the people around us.

Conclusion: The Future of Mental Health Advocacy

Mental health advocacy is a global issue, but it’s one that we can tackle by learning from each other. By taking the best practices from countries that are leading the way, we can create a world where mental health is prioritized, destigmatized, and accessible for all. Whether we’re advocating for early intervention, open conversations, or community-based care, the future of mental health advocacy looks brighter when we work together.