Young mental health patients will be able to watch carefully curated stories of personal experience on an iPad or computer, shared firsthand by people who know what it’s like to be cared for in hospital for mental health reasons. Hearing courageous stories of recovery while in care can have a profoundly positive impact on recovery.
Mental health teams at Hornsby Hospital’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit will work with youth mental health organisation Batyr to deliver the Being Herd Digital Peer Support Pilot. The NSW Government has invested $50,000 to support the trial which runs from October 2018 to January 2019.
October is also NSW’s Mental Health Month. This year’s theme is ‘Share the Journey’, to encourage the community to talk about mental health and tackle stigma. Mental Health Month includes a wide range of community events open to people with lived experience of mental health issues, families and carers, and the services that support them.
Minister for Mental Health Tanya Davies said nearly half of all Australians will experience some form of mental illness during their lifetime, and those who don’t will likely know someone who will.
"We do not have to suffer alone and, by sharing our journey, we break down barriers that surround ourselves, our friends, family, and community," Mrs Davies said.
