It’s Time to Talk About Mental Health

By Mark Waters

Posted Oct 22, 2024 in Faith

It’s Time to Talk About Mental Health

October seems to be packed with focus days or weeks. As well as recognising Anti-Poverty Week and National Carers’ Week (‘Millions of Reasons to Care’) last week, we have marked the days such as United Nations International Day of Non-Violence on October 2^nd and the church celebrated Older Persons’ Sunday on October 6^th (on the Sunday after the UNs International Day of Older Persons).

This is all coming on top of World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10th) and RUOK Day with its theme of ‘Ask RUOK? Any Day’ on September 12^th.

Mental Health Month also runs for the whole of October each year surrounding World Mental Health Day (October 10^th). The Mental Health Coalition of South Australia has set the theme for this Mental Health Month as ‘It’s Time to Talk About Mental Health.’

With Anti-Poverty Week being featured last week in the UC e-news, it is timely to reflect upon the effects of poverty, the cost-of-living crisis and mental health. At a 2011 ACOSS Conference, John Mendoza, an advocate in mental health, said ‘… not only does poverty occur as a result of mental illness, but that poverty can also be the onset of mental illness. More social inequality leads to more mental illness.’

As we tune in to mental health issues this October, our challenge remains as to how we can address anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, stress and poverty in our neighbourhoods and churches.

Resources:

Mental Health Coalition of SA https://mhcsa.org.au/mental-health-month/

ACOSS 2011 paper           
https://www.acoss.org.au/images/uploads/Mental%20and%20poverty%20feature.pdf

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