From 5 to 11 October, Brussels is holding its Mental Health Week, built around World Mental Health Day on 10 October. Services and organisations across the city are opening their doors and hosting workshops, film screenings and discussions. Here is a selection of what is still coming up and open to everyone.
What is Mental Health Week?
Every year, organisations across Belgium plan activities around 10 October. In Brussels, the Brussels League for Mental Health and the Brussels Mental Health Platform bring them together in a shared calendar. The organisers see the week as a chance to learn about mental health, share experiences and find out what support exists close to home.
The programme is broad: open days, relaxation and creative workshops, screenings, exhibitions and public debates. Some activities are meant for professionals. This selection only includes events the calendar lists as open to all.
Interest was high from the start. Early in the week, a study day on mental health and housing in Brussels and Wallonia was fully booked. World Mental Health Day itself has a long history: it was first held in 1992, at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health.
Thursday 8 October: three events in one day
From 10:00 to 13:00, LUSS, the French-speaking federation of patient associations, hosts ParoLUSS at Rue Victor Oudart 7 in Schaerbeek. Registration is required.
From 13:00 to 15:00, the Free Clinic at Chaussée de Wavre 154A in Ixelles runs a workshop called “CEP – crée, exprime et partage” (create, express and share). According to the calendar, there is no need to register.
In the evening, from 18:45 to 21:00, Similes Wallonie and Anotherlight are screening the documentary “Dans les ruches” at Cinéma Galeries, Galerie de la Reine 26, in central Brussels, followed by a discussion. Similes is an organisation for the relatives and friends of people living with mental health conditions.
Friday 9 October: when you no longer know where to turn
The Mutualité chrétienne, one of Belgium’s health insurance funds, is holding a group meeting titled “Je ne sais plus vers qui me tourner” (I no longer know who to turn to), from 9:30 to 12:30. It takes place at CAPLA, Boulevard Émile Bockstael 160 in Laeken. Anyone who feels lost in the maze of available help may well recognise themselves in that title.
Sunday 11 October: a debate in the open air
At 12:00, the Comité des usager·ères ASBL Equipe, a service users’ committee, hosts “Un jour de Ouf”, a public debate on madness, at the Speaker’s Corner on Rue du Faucon in Brussels. Everyone is welcome.
One thing stands out in this programme. Several events are led by people with lived experience of mental health problems, or by those close to them. LUSS and the users’ committee give that experience a public voice, and Similes does the same for families and friends.
Good to know
The activities on the Brussels calendar are in French, and we found none in English or Dutch. Some events require registration, and prices are not always listed. It is worth checking the calendar of the Brussels League for Mental Health beforehand, where any last-minute changes will also appear.
See the full Brussels Mental Health Week calendar (in French)
Beyond one week
Most of the organisations behind these events work in Brussels all year round. An open day, a workshop or a film night can be an easy way to get to know them, without having to put a request for help into words straight away. World Mental Health Day on 10 October is a reminder that mental health concerns everyone, in every neighbourhood of the city.