On June 10, 2025, the FAMILY project, in collaboration with the Re MEND and R2D2 MH projects, hosted an online stakeholder event titled “A Dialogue on Stigma: Research, Reality and Response.” The event aimed to explore mental-health stigma through the lenses of academic research, lived experience, and practical responses. Designed primarily for researchers but open to all, the dialogue brought together a diverse audience and created a space for meaningful exchange.

The session combined presentations from researchers working on stigma-related topics with testimonies from individuals directly affected by stigma in mental-health contexts. This dual approach helped bridge the gap between empirical evidence and personal realities, highlighting how stigma manifests in both research findings and everyday life. The event also discussed actionable strategies to address stigma, including communication approaches, policy-level change, and community-based responses.

R2D2‑MH contributed to the event with a session led by several co-creation group members Julie Segers, Cecilia Ingard and Chantel Fouche. The session focused on inclusive research practices and the importance of shifting from viewing neurodivergent individuals as passive research subjects to recognizing them as active collaborators. They introduced the R2D2-MH language guide for neurodiversity research, designed to help researchers reflect critically on the terminology used when communicating about neurodiversity, and promote communication that is both scientifically sound and respectful of neurodivergent people.

The presentations were followed by interactive group discussions that explored how language choices can reinforce or challenge stigma. The discussions concluded on the importance of co-developing terminology with people with lived experience. The involvement of R2D2-MH co-creation groups demonstrated R2D2-MH’s commitment to participatory research and to fostering respectful, empowering dialogue between researchers and neurodivergent communities (co-creation approach).