How to advocate for your own mental health care

On this plate (6 sections)

Self-advocacy is the everyday form of advocacy: speaking up for your own wishes, questions and rights in the conversations that shape your care. Mind, the English charity, describes it as being able to speak up about what you want, and adds that this is not always easy when you have a mental health problem. This plate collects practical principles from public health agencies and charities, outlines how to raise a concern in England, and explains when an independent advocate may help. It is general education, not personal medical or legal advice, and a clinician is the right person for questions about your own symptoms or treatment.

Know what you want from the visit

Visits are short, and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in the United States says to think through questions beforehand and write down what you want to discuss. The NHS advises the same: make notes of what you want to raise, take them with you and tick each point off during the appointment. Mind adds that if speaking is hard, you can invite your GP to read your notes, and that it is fine if you do not yet know what you need.

Being specific helps. NIMH suggests describing your symptoms, including when they started, how severe they are and how often they happen, and mentioning major stressors or recent life changes. Mind recommends using words that feel natural to you and focusing on how you feel instead of on a possible diagnosis. The plate on preparing for an appointment goes through this preparation in more detail.

Ask questions and ask for plain language

The NHS page "What to ask your doctor or other healthcare professional" (page last reviewed 12 January 2023, with a review due January 2026) tells readers not to be afraid to ask when something is unclear, with the example "Can you say that again? I still do not understand." It says that if you do not understand any words, you can ask for them to be written down and explained. Its checklist includes questions about other ways to treat a condition, side effects or risks, how you will know if a treatment is working, and what happens next.

NIMH makes a related point about options: if a suggested treatment makes you uneasy or is unfamiliar, say so and ask about other options. It adds that you can seek a second opinion, and that no single treatment works for everyone. For the NHS in England, the mental health assessment page (reviewed 4 August 2025) notes that you do not have a legal right to a second opinion but should in most cases be able to get one. The US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) offers a QuestionBuilder app that helps patients and caregivers prepare for appointments, according to its page last reviewed June 2022.

Take notes and bring a support person

The NHS suggests writing things down during the appointment, or asking a friend or family member to take notes, and checking before you leave that you understand what should happen next and when. NIMH says a companion can offer support, help you take notes and remember what was discussed, and that you can meet your provider alone first and then have the companion join for treatment recommendations. Mind says the GP should allow you to bring someone you trust, who can come in or wait outside.

The NHS also suggests asking who to contact if you have more questions, and asking for copies of letters written about you, which it says you are entitled to see. Putting a request in writing can help create a record, but the opened pages do not set out a formal rule on writing follow-up, so treat that as a personal choice. The plate on asking for your records covers the formal route.

Raising a concern or a complaint

If a service is not working for you, the NHS says to tell the professional, because another approach may be needed. If concerns are not taken seriously, it suggests asking the service manager whether you can see a different member of the team, and contacting the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) for advice. This describes England only.

For a formal complaint about NHS services in England, NHS England's complaints page says you can complain to the provider or to the commissioner, but not both, and that complaints should normally be made within 12 months. It describes the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman as the route if you remain unhappy, and the Care Quality Commission for matters involving use of the Mental Health Act. This page carries no date, so check it for changes. Procedures in the United States differ, and the pages opened for this plate did not set out a general complaint process there, other than the federal privacy complaint route noted in the plate on records.

When to seek an independent advocate

Self-advocacy has limits, and Mind says there are times when an advocate may help, including when it is hard to express your views or remember what you were told. Some situations carry a legal entitlement in England, such as being detained under the Mental Health Act. NHS England's complaints page says you can get free help from an NHS complaints advocate at any stage, who can help you write a complaint letter and attend meetings with you, though they cannot make the complaint for you or give medical or legal advice. The plate on how to request an advocate gives the outline, and what mental health advocacy is sets the wider context.

The short version

Good self-advocacy is mostly preparation: know your main questions, describe things in your own words, ask for plain explanations, take notes and bring support if you want it. If a service falls short, England offers PALS, a formal NHS complaints route and free complaints advocates. Rules differ by country and change, so check current official pages.