Despite significant progress in global mental health awareness and commitments to improve care, nearly 1 billion people worldwide with serious mental illnesses — such as schizophrenia, PTSD, and major depressive disorder — continue to face challenges in accessing appropriate treatment.
2024 is a pivotal year for global health policy, with major discussions on noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs, leading up to the United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs and mental health in 2025. These discussions highlight the urgent need to integrate mental health, particularly serious mental illnesses, into the NCD policy agenda and address their intersection with climate change.
This experiential dinner event will shine a spotlight on the realities of living with serious mental illness through the premiere of a powerful docuseries produced by Fixing Us, along with a captivating photo exhibit, dynamic on-stage conversations, and vibrant networking moments over dinner. By sharing personal stories and diverse experiences, we aim to humanize the statistics and foster empathy, driving support for more robust mental health initiatives globally.
Request your invitation to join us in person in New York or register to join for the online broadcast. Please note that the online event will take place on Oct. 2.
Please note that the online event will take place on Oct. 2
In person only
Nedim Pipic, Global head of mental health, Boehringer Ingelheim
Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Devex
This session will offer valuable perspectives from both an expert in the field and a patient's personal experience, providing a deeper understanding of the challenges and advancements shaping mental health care today.
Opening segment:
Tsuyoshi Akiyama, President, World Federation of Mental Health (virtual participation)
Bethany Yeiser, President, CURESZ Foundation
James Sale, Deputy CEO, United for Global Mental Health
Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Devex
Beck Smith, Associate director of policy, Wellcome
Dévora Kestel, Director of the department of mental health, brain health and substance use, WHO
Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al-Thani, Noncommunicable diseases prevention programs director, Ministry of Public Health, Qatar
Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Devex
In person only
Current mental health discourse focuses on general well-being, often limiting the conversation to anxiety and depression. This neglects serious mental illnesses, allowing stigma to persist and symptoms like schizophrenia-related cognitive impairment to go unnoticed.
Despite mental health conditions being the leading cause of disability worldwide, financial investment remains inadequate. In 2020, the WHO Mental Health Atlas revealed that governments allocated just over 2% of health budgets to mental health, with 66% of that spent on psychiatric hospitals instead of community-based care, hindering access to care.
Developing treatments for mental health conditions has lagged behind other medical fields, in part due to the complexities and limited understanding of brain and neurochemical pathways. Drug development for mental health conditions takes 20% longer, with a clinical trial success rate of only 6.2%, compared to 13.3% for conditions not impacting the central nervous system.
Be among the first to witness the premiere of a powerful docuseries produced by Fixing Us, focusing on serious mental health issues and potential solutions. This groundbreaking series provides an in-depth look at both the challenges and innovative approaches in mental health.
Hear from industry leaders, visionaries, and change-makers who will share their insights, stories, and expertise.
Connect with like-minded professionals, potential collaborators, and industry influencers. Discover new opportunities, exchange ideas, and build valuable relationships.
Explore a thought-provoking photo exhibition featuring images from the upcoming documentary produced by Fixing Us.
Join us for a networking dinner where you can engage in meaningful conversations, share experiences, and build new connections.
