Previous Mental Health Weeks
Mental Health Week 2023
Planning has begun for our 2023 NT Mental Health Awareness Week! This year Mental Health Week will run from Saturday, October 7 to Sunday, October 15.
Celebrating Our Strengths is this years’ theme – calling for reflection on the things in our lives and communities that we are proud of that keep our mental health and well-being and our spirit strong. Let’s share experiences across our communities and celebrate the many strengths we have in all places and all people throughout the Territory.
By valuing and celebrating our achievements and contributions we help create more of the change we want to see, building hope, well-being and inspiration.
Green is this year’s Mental Health Week colour, symbolizing new life, new growth and new beginnings and representing hope, strength and support. The green ribbon is the international symbol of mental health. During Mental Health Week, we encourage people to wear a green ribbon, and display the colour green in their workplace, home or at their Mental Health Week events.
Our art piece for this year, entitled ‘Good Ways, was created by local Aboriginal Artist Darlene Devery and represents a community strong in spirit and wellbeing, full of hope and strength, celebrating new life, new beginnings and ongoing mental wellbeing. Learn more about the artist and her work.
Mental Health Week 2022
2022 Mental Health Week in the Northern Territory was held on 8 – 16 October. The theme was ‘Awareness, Belonging, Connection’.
Awareness is about understanding what we need to do to boost and maintain our mental wellbeing. It’s also about knowing when we need to reach out for help and where to get it.
Belonging is about looking out for each other, ensuring we feel safe and supported, and understanding that we’re not alone no matter how difficult our feelings or experiences are.
Connection is about our relationships with our friends, families and those that we care about, as well as the groups, clubs, and networks around us that we rely on to help keep us happy and healthy, wherever we live, work, or play.
Mental Health Week 2021
The theme for 2021 was ‘Connect to Wellbeing’. Although the NT has not been as affected by Covid-19 as other places, the call to connect is just as important. Mental Health Week is a reminder of the importance of connecting to community, hope, strength, and identity; each of these aspects are fundamental to our wellbeing.
The aim of the week is to raise awareness, promote mental health and wellbeing in the wider community and provide information about services available to provide support.
Mental Health Week is also a time to recognise people who have made significant contributions to the Mental Health sector. We know there are so many people in paid and voluntary roles who provide extraordinary support to others.
Mental Health Week 2020
The theme for 2020 was Building Healthy Communities, with a focus being on the effects and impacts due to COVID-19 restrictions on the health and well-being of those across the wider community.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, looking after our mental health and wellbeing has become more important than ever. Mental Health Week 2020 highlighted the importance of mental health in our everyday lives and addressing the stigma attached to mental illness. It also raised awareness about the services available to support people needing help, and advocated for improvements to our mental health system.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted health services to highlight what we can do to strengthen our resilience and look after our mental health. Friends and families are important sources of support, and GPs and local community mental health services can also help.