The programme for Mental Health Week 2025 is now available: Registrations open!

Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu has now published the full programme for Mental Health Week 2025, which will be held from 6 to 10 October under the slogan “Five days, five challenges: how to face the future of mental health". The event will bring together a wide range of professionals, institutions, entities, people with their own experience and family members, with the aim of analysing, sharing and jointly constructing responses to the major challenges in the field of mental health.

During the first Mental Health Week there will be five days for participants to share knowledge, four experiential workshops, a fair attended by organisations and a live karaoke concert in Sant Boi de Llobregat. From Monday 6 to Friday 10 October, coinciding with World Mental Health Day.

The Week includes talks, round tables, experiential workshops and activities open to the community, organised in thematic days, with free registration now available through this link. All the talks will take place in the Dr Antoni Pujadas Auditorium, in Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, in Sant Boi de Llobregat, and the organisation fair and the concert will be in the Parc de la Muntanyeta, also in Sant Boi.

Five days, five major challenges

The programme centres on five fundamental themes: young people, families, sport, research and how to prepare ourselves for managing uncertainty. Throughout the week (Monday to Thursday), afternoons will be dedicated to organizing experiential workshops addressing issues raised during the morning conferences and roundtables. In addition, every morning, in the auditorium lobby, there will be an ARCADE machine for you to learn and test yourself on mental health rights (Sant Joan de Déu SOM 360).

Monday 6 – Mood On: What's happening to young people?
Debate on emotional distress in young people and their narratives in a changing society. Concepts such as addiction, the risks and potential of the digital environment, resilience and community initiatives for preventing suicide will be explored. A day to listen, understand and connect with the reality of young people. With the participation of experts including Toni Boix, Mireia Ventura, Josep Matalí and first-person testimonies. In the afternoon, a film forum will be held following the screening of the documentary “Des-nudos”, with Txell Esteve and Diana Casellas from Sant Joan de Déu Solidaritat.

Tuesday 7 – Mental health and families: support in the care process
Families are key agents in the mental health recovery process. The conference aims to recognise and strengthen their role, addressing the rights of those being cared for and their families, and reflecting on how to improve the care they receive within the mental health network. It will be an opportunity to talk about rights, relationships, needs and alliances with professionals, families and organisations such as Salut Mental Catalunya and Federació Veus. In the afternoon, there will be a workshop on the Co-Elna co-creative research project, a joint initiative by women and mothers with their own experiences in mental health, researchers and professionals from the healthcare and social fields.

Wednesday 8 – Mental health and sport: impacts and limits
Physical activity can be a powerful tool for mental health. This session explores the relationship between sport and emotional wellbeing, from the experience of public figures to community and research projects. We will learn about initiatives such as Nordic walking, blue therapy and the Thalassa and Ultreya projects, and we will discuss the limits and potential of sport as a tool for inclusion. The day ends with Nordic walking open to the public.

Thursday 9 – Mental health research: personalised medicine for the future
Why do we all get the same treatment when we are all different? Research is paving the way for more precise and tailored mental health care with bespoke medicine. This session will showcase progress in personalised medicine such as predicting responses to treatment, harnessing virtual reality and avatar therapy. Experts from a range of fields will discuss how innovation can transform care and enhance quality of life. It will be a forward-looking event combining scientific rigour and hope featuring Gustavo Deco (UPF), Philippe Mortier (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Susana Ochoa (Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu) and many more. In the afternoon, there will be an experiential workshop to learn about practical examples of mental health research projects including a visit to one of the immersive rooms and the virtual reality projects. Register here to book your place for the guided tour.

Friday 10 – Mental health and uncertainty: how to prepare
We will be closing the week by reflecting on how to deal with uncertainty, a key issue. With climate, emergencies and global uncertainty as emerging factors in mental health, from climate change to social crises, the conference analyses the impact of a changing world on mental health. Professionals from various fields will address strategies for adapting to uncertainty, the future of healthcare professions and the importance of collective resilience. With Hicham Achebak (ISGlobal), Marc Castellnou (Bombers GRAF) and associations of healthcare professionals. A concluding session with a critical but hopeful approach.

The final day will feature a stand-up luncheon for attendees right by the Dr Antoni Pujadas Auditorium to encourage networking.

Friday 10 – Mental health organisations fair (5 pm to 9 pm)
The first Mental Health Week will wrap up with a mental health organisations fair in Plaça de la Catalunya in Sant Boi, a charitable event intended to bring together the public, organisations, activists and professionals working to promote mental health and prevent mental health issues and encourage a stigma-free perspective.

The fair, featuring activities related to promoting awareness, preventing mental illness and combating stigma, will spotlight approaches to averting mental health problems ranging from healthy eating and physical exercise to artistic expression and meditation as tools to achieve balance.

Detailed programme (registration open)
Activities are free, but you need to register beforehand. The form and the detailed programme are now available on the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu website. Afternoon workshops require individual registration, which can also be done via the programme.

A week to share, transform and advance
Organised in conjunction with World Mental Health Day (10 October), this annual event aims to raise awareness, promote public participation and build a collective vision of a fairer, more inclusive and community-based future in the field of mental health.