Mental health promoted at Woy Woy station

Rotarians from across the Peninsula came together on October 7 to promote mental health research through Australian Rotary Health's Hat Day.

Rotarians visited Woy Woy railway station to sell Hat Day merchandise and collect money to help Australian Rotary Health and mental health research.

Hat Day is one of many events occurring during the month of October, which is also Mental Health Month.

It encourages members of the community to wear a hat and host an event to open up the discussion on mental health, reduce stigma and raise money to go towards finding preventions and cures for mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar and anxiety.

Australian Rotary Health Board Member Mr Graeme Davies said Rotarians had always been the biggest supporters of Hat Day, which has allowed researchers to explore a variety of mental health areas.

"Australian Rotary Health is placing an emphasis on research for prevention of mental illnesses and the mental health of young children under the age of eight," Mr Davies said.

"In the past, events such as Hat Day have supported researchers to look into suicide prevention strategies, early interventions of mental illness and web and phone-based self-help tools."

Media release, 5 Oct 2016

Jessica Cooper, Australian Rotary Health