The programme for Mental Health Week 2026 is now available: Registrations open!

Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu has now opened registration for Mental Health Week 2026, which will take place from 5 to 9 October under the slogan “Perspectives that transform”, and which combines knowledge, experience and participation.

Following the success of previous editions, Mental Health Week is establishing itself as a meeting space for professionals, people with lived experience, researchers, social organisations and the public, with the aim of generating reflection and sharing knowledge about the major current challenges in mental health.

This year’s programme is organised into five thematic events based on a central idea: mental health is a complex reality that can only be understood from diverse, connected and person-centred perspectives. From the gender perspective to the impact of spaces on emotional well-being, including the transfer of research to clinical practice or community care models, the events will address key issues to advance towards more human, inclusive and transformative mental health.

Five days, five complementary perspectives

The week will kick off on Monday 5 October with the event “Women and mental health: invisible wounds, visible voices”, dedicated to analysing gender inequalities in mental health, the incorporation of the gender perspective in research and clinical practice, and the impact of violence on women’s health. The opening lecture will be given by Dr Maria Teresa Pont Castellana, coordinator of the Clinical Committees for Health and Gender at the Department of Health.

On Tuesday 6 October, the event “Intellectual disability and mental health: people, rights and support” will focus on the new care paradigms, personal autonomy, housing, social inclusion and the challenges associated with situations of high complexity and vulnerability. The opening presentation will be given by Dr Josep Pifarré, Director General of the Hospitaller Order of Sant Joan de Déu.

The Mental Health Research event, which is already in its 17th edition and will take place on Wednesday 7 October, will explore how to turn scientific knowledge into tangible improvements for the people receiving care. Under the title “From research to the clinic”, the event will bring together researchers, professionals and people with lived experience to reflect on the transfer of knowledge, the implementation of innovation and the impact of research on healthcare practice.

The next day, Thursday 8 October, it will be the turn of “Spaces that care: architecture, city and mental health”, a proposal that will address the relationship between physical environments, urban planning and emotional well-being. The event will feature a recorded greeting from María Neira, Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment at the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as the participation of leading figures in the fields of architecture, environmental psychology, urban planning and social inclusion.

The week will culminate on Friday 9 October with the event “21st century community mental health”, focused on the challenges and opportunities of community models, social and healthcare integration, new professional roles and innovative local care experiences. The opening lecture will be given by Dr Josep Ramos, one of the leading figures in community mental health in Catalonia.

Experiential activities to bring mental health closer to the community

Beyond the morning sessions, Mental Health Week 2026 also includes open experiential activities that complement the academic and informative content.

The scheduled proposals include a conversation on the prevention of violence in adolescence with the writer Gemma Lienas and the clinical psychologist Carme Sánchez Martín; an inclusive softball exhibition with the Sant Joan de Déu Lions team and an open day in the immersive room at the Sant Ricard Residence; an exhibition of innovative research projects in mental health based on virtual reality and new technologies, and a guided tour of the Invisible Garden at the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu.

These activities aim to encourage the direct participation of the public and reinforce the idea that mental health is not just a clinical issue, but also a social, environmental and community one, and requires coordinated and humane responses.

Registration open

Participation in the events is free, but requires prior registration. Check the full programme and register here: Programme and registration for Mental Health Week 2026

The afternoon activities require a specific registration separate from the morning event, which you will find in the same programme, and here.