One in five Australians experience some degree of mental illness every year. This year, COVID-19 has increased the number of people impacted by mental illness. World Mental Health Day, 10 October, provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on our mental health. This year the theme of the day is to “look after your mental health, Australia”.
Looking after our mental health has never been more important. We have faced many challenges this year that have required us to be flexible and innovative in the way we deliver health services to the community. In these circumstances, it is normal to experience an increase in stress or anxiety, in both in our work and personal lives. However, it is important we manage our mental and emotional health and reach out if we ever feel overwhelmed. There are a number of resources available to Monash Health employees and numerous mental health resources available on the Monash Health COVID-19 website.
This World Mental Health Day, we are hosting a special employee forum, with support from Mental Health Australia. Join us on Thursday 8 October where we’ll welcome comedians Claire Hooper and Dilruk Jayasinha, who’ll be talking about their mental health and the challenges they’ve faced over the past few months. We will also have Monash Health Clinical Psychologist Dr David Moseley on hand to answer your questions about mental health and wellbeing. You can find more information about the event on the Monash Health COVID-19 website. We hope to see you there!
Approved by Karen Lowe