The ‘Psych of the Times – A New Era for Mental Health’ Campaign was held in October, as a collaboration with MHSA. Various events were held throughout the month of October to promote discussion on mental health.
The campaign launched on Mental Health Awareness Day (10th October) with a video of a contemporary dance choreographed and shot locally. This dance signifies the journey people go through in life and the many ups and downs they feel, showing people that suffer from mental health illnesses are not alone. Face masks were printed with the words “There’s No Mask for Mental Health”.
On the 17th of October, a discussion titled ‘Mental Health and the Media’ was held through online means. During this event, the panelists were asked questions on media portrayals of mental health, elaborating on various aspects such as body image, dependence on digital tools, and online services. An online survey was created and distributed to gather statistics on the public’s perceptions and perspectives on mental health. This survey gathered more than 1,400 responses and several interesting comments and topics for discussion.
A Coping Mechanisms Workshop titled ‘Deal With It’ was held at University to show various positive coping mechanisms were promoted in this workshop, including art, music, yoga, meditation and pottery. Negative coping mechanisms were also discussed, such as alcoholism, substance abuse, self-harm and violence. In conjunction with this, a meditation session was also held as a separate event titled ‘Stay Zen’. ‘Break the Taboo’ was another event which was held online. During this, the two organisations posted several infographics and other media, on various online platforms to increase education and awareness about the stigma surrounding mental health.
Finally, the campaign concluded with a booklet composed of a research paper and a policy paper. Both were presented at a Closing Event held at Valletta Campus. The policy paper focused on proposals on several topics related to mental health in today’s society, such as services available, education, the stigma and caregivers. The research paper focused on the
results of the survey, including both the statistics gathered and the feedback received.
