Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
Despite growing awareness and greater dialogue about mental health and individual and societal well-being, significant challenges persist around the world, including deeply rooted stigmas that discourage open and supportive conversations, shortcomings in public policy, financial barriers limiting access to care, and health disparities affecting marginalized and vulnerable populations. Alongside so many other dramatic and urgent crises of the moment, how can the international community work to diminish the broad reluctance to deal with these issues openly and honestly, promote mental well-being globally, and strengthen policies while improving access to essential resources? Can we keep the topic out of politics and encourage free and honest exchanges about it?
Featured:
Pippa Hockton, director, Street Talk
Mario Kreft, founder, Pendine Park, multi-award winning care organization, United Kingdom
Karen D. Lincoln, director, the Center for Environmental Health Disparities Research in the Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine.
Michael Scott (moderator), senior dean, Blackfriars Hall, Oxford
Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), director, Free Speech Project, Georgetown University
Despite growing awareness and greater dialogue about mental health and individual and societal well-being, significant challenges persist around the world, including deeply rooted stigmas that discourage open and supportive conversations, shortcomings in public policy, financial barriers limiting access to care, and health disparities affecting marginalized and vulnerable populations. Alongside so many other dramatic and urgent crises of the moment, how can the international community work to diminish the broad reluctance to deal with these issues openly and honestly, promote mental well-being globally, and strengthen policies while improving access to essential resources? Can we keep the topic out of politics and encourage free and honest exchanges about it?
Featured:
Pippa Hockton, director, Street Talk
Mario Kreft, founder, Pendine Park, multi-award winning care organization, United Kingdom
Karen D. Lincoln, director, the Center for Environmental Health Disparities Research in the Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine.
Michael Scott (moderator), senior dean, Blackfriars Hall, Oxford
Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), director, Free Speech Project, Georgetown University
