In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, we sat down with Zahinoor Ismail, Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Calgary, at a recent congress and asked him to share some insights into how the public’s perception of mental health has evolved over the past two decades. What positive changes has he observed but also, where does he believe that further progress is needed? He then shared his insights on the main challenges to access to care, before discussing what a comprehensive holistic approach to managing mental health patients entails.