Dunedin events marking Mental Health Awareness Week are starting with a blank canvas.
A large canvas has been set up in the Wall Street Mall, and local cartoonist and art educator Brent Harpur will work with school pupils and members of the public to transform the blank space into a colourful mural with their interpretation of mental wellbeing.
"The creative arts are therapeutic," Southern District Health Board promotions adviser David Pirie said.
"The idea with the mural is that all-comers can participate and express their thoughts and feelings."
Mental wellbeing is the theme of the Southern region’s Mental Health Awareness Week activities, and organisers are keen to emphasise that greater wellbeing is a concern for all, not just those affected by a mental health issue.
"Mental health stories often focus on the negative but this is about the positive," Mental Health Awareness Week manager Sarah Chisnall said.
"Mental wellbeing is for everyone ... People need to talk about it normally, like they would talk about a sore leg or a sore stomach, and hopefully that will go some way to making the journey easier for people who do experience some issues with their mental wellbeing."
A launch event for Mental Health Awareness Week will be held at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery this evening. Other activities during the week include a wellness walk/fun run, a whanau day, an arts and crafts day, and a meditation walk.
Nationwide, more than 1900 workplaces and 500 schools have registered Mental Health Awareness Week events.
The Health Promotion Agency has also launched a new campaign, "Just Ask. Just Listen", which targets family and friends of people experiencing mental distress.
Health Minister David Clark — who will attend a global mental health summit in London this week — said he was looking forward to the report from the Government-commissioned independent Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction.
The inquiry, led by former Health and Disability Commissioner Ron Paterson, is due to report to the Government by October 31.
