Following the success of last year’s campaign, South West London and St. George’s Mental Health NHS Trust is celebrating October Mental Health Month with events in Tooting and South West London.

The theme this year is “young people and mental health in a changing world” which aims to encourage discussion around mental health in adolescence and the early years of adulthood.

They are also running their popular digital photography competition – #Upliftingimage – where local schools, youth organisations, staff and members of the public can send in an image that makes them smile and uplifts their mood. The theme this year is “contentment – what does it mean to you?” with the aim of promoting positive mental health. The closing date for entries is 10 October – more details available here. There will be prizes for the best entries.

Events across south west London throughout October include:

• An exhibition celebrating Black History Month at the Evolve BME Staff Conference..
• Recovery College courses for staff, patients, their carers and family throughout the month.
• World Mental Health Day: staff and patients from Deaf services will express their experiences of mental health problems on canvas. The session will take place at the Recovery College on 10 October.
• Weekly social media posts and animations.
• 10th annual Healing Our Broken Village conference 25 October.

The Trust is also hosting a visit from the Burmese Minister of Health and Sports who will visit Springfield Hospital on World Mental Health Day 10 October.

David Bradley, Chief Executive at South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust, said, "We are very proud to be celebrating Mental Health Month with many events throughout October. 

“We know that one in four of us will be affected by mental illness at some point in our life and that 9 out of 10 people say that their problems are made worse by experiencing stigma and discrimination.

“These events are a great opportunity for the community to find out more about the work that we do and to get actively involved in challenging the stigma and discrimination that people with mental health problems still face today.

“We would like to thank all of our event partners for helping us reach out to south west Londoners and I would encourage as many people as possible to get involved.”

Details on events and booking is available at http://www.swlstg.nhs.uk/mental-health-month.

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