National campaign on World Mental Health Day

Today, on World Mental Health Day, the National Mental Health Commission (NMHC) launches “This Is Me,” a national campaign rooted in the lived experiences of real Barbadians. Drawing on the 2026 World Mental Health Day global theme—”Lived experiences heard: Real voices, real change”—the campaign recognises that lasting change in how Barbados thinks about, talks about, and responds to mental illness with policy and with people willing to speak their truth.

“This Is Me” is a community-driven initiative inviting Barbadians from every walk of life—young and old, working and retired, in good health and in the middle of a struggle—to share their mental health stories. Their voices, shared with dignity and on their own terms, will be amplified across social media, community spaces, and out-of-home displays as a living testament to the breadth of mental health experience in this country.

The campaign is the centrepiece of the NMHC’s comprehensive 2026 communications programme, which is structured around five priority themes that reflect Barbados’ most urgent mental health challenges.