On Friday 27 March, beyondblue visited CFA HQ with their Big Blue Bus to increase awareness of mental health and mental illness.
It was an opportunity for CFA members to learn more about how they can ‘Take one step’ for better mental health both for themselves and in support of others.
Campaigns like this have helped to raise awareness of mental health in a number of ways. Mental illnesses have become more widely understood in recent times. It is likely that we have all heard or read something about depression and anxiety in recent times. Depression and anxiety are mental illnesses which affect up to one in four Australians each year. They are very real. They can also be invisible, not to the person suffering, but to everyone around them.
Many people don’t feel comfortable talking about depression and anxiety but go on suffering silently with little to no help. Every now and then, however, someone finds the courage to speak up. Sometimes this is all that’s needed to get others talking about their own depression and anxiety and seeking the support they need.
Over coming weeks, we will be sharing stories from some of our members who have come to terms with their own battles with depression and anxiety. They do this in the hope that their stories help others to reach out and get the support they need.
In the meantime, below are two videos from CFA’s mental health video series. The first is on depression and the second on anxiety. If you want to learn more, please visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/mentalhealth for more information.
Author: Tanya Di Michele