October is recognised each year in New South Wales as Mental Health Month, which centres around World Mental Health Day on October 10th. This month encourages all of us to take a more mindful approach to mental health and wellbeing, regardless of our own personal experiences of mental illness.
In 2023, the theme for Mental Health Month is ‘we all have a role to play’. Particularly, the focus of this month is to think about the ways you can contribute to the reduction of mental health stigma that still exists in our society. Although this stigma can take many forms, it is often represented in common perceptions such as viewing mental illness as a “weakness”, as something that is “abnormal”, or that people diagnosed with a mental illness are “just not trying hard enough”.
During October, we encourage you to think about the ways you connect and support the people around you. There are lots of small ways you can act as an ‘ally’ for mental health;
- Educate yourself about mental health and mental illness so you can be more mindful in your interactions.
- Be aware of how your language can impact others. Certain terms such as “psycho” or “schizo” have been used previously to discriminate against those with a mental illness. Even the use of phrases such as “I’m so OCD” in a joking way can underestimate the suffering of a person diagnosed with this illness.
- Share information about mental health on your social media.
For more information about Mental Health Month, follow the link below.
