Mental Health Month is celebrated each year in the month of October in NSW, and today is World Mental Health Day! This awareness month encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether we may have a lived experience of mental illness or not. This month also gives us the opportunity to understand the importance of mental health in our everyday lives and encourages help seeking behaviours when needed.
Stigma around mental illness due to misunderstanding or prejudice remains an issue in Australia, delaying people from wanting or feeling able to seek help, and impacting adversely on their lives. Misconceptions about those experiencing mental illness can lead to people affected being labelled as ‘crazy’, ‘comical’, ‘incompetent’ or ‘hopeless’. These types of labels can appear anywhere, in the media and the arts, and in conversations we have at work, school or home.
WayAhead, the Mental Health Association of NSW, believes it’s time to look at mental illness in a different light – a positive light, and have events happening across NSW that you can take part in. If you’d like to learn more about mental health in Australia, the Library has a great range of resources available online for you to use, including:
- The Mental Health Library Resource Guide
- The International Journal of Mental Health Nursing – a fully refereed journal examining current trends and developments in mental health practice and research.
- Journal of Mental Health Counseling – Addresses concerns of mental health counselors in private practice, community agencies, business and industry, and rehabilitation who deal with issues such as family counseling and substance abuse.
- Infant Mental Health Journal – publishes peer-reviewed research articles, literature reviews, program descriptions/evaluations, and clinical studies focused on infant mental health.
- NO LIMITS episode on Mental Health (online video)