Billabong Clubhouse celebrated World Mental Health Day with a huge fun day aimed at breaking down the stigma for not only people dealing with mental health issues, but also those around them.
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The day saw 22 local services open stalls to speak to the public, and network with each other, although Billabong House’s Kevin Rooney said the focus was on fun.
“The push this year is that mental health is everyone’s business, so we want to build a community where it is everyone’s business, not just that one person, but everyone supporting that person as well,” he said.
The services on hand ranged from Healthwise, to the Department of Fair Trading, while the real action was on the fun and games, as well as the Muffin Break stand, coffee van and bbq.
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“We have a really good cross section of services here covering intellectual and physical disabilities as well as mental health,” Mr Rooney said.
“Today a person who uses one service can see all the other services as well. We want to break down the difference in services.
“It doesn’t matter which ones you use, or if you don’t use any, as long as people know they are there and reach out when they need help.”
Mr Rooney also believes that the ongoing increase in mental health statistics is actually a good sign.
“It shows that we are putting it on the table and that awareness has been successful,” he said.
“There is nothing to be afraid of, we know more about it than we ever have before, and people are now more confident to come out about it.”