Mental health awareness will be recognised this Wednesday at the University of Southern Queensland’s Hervey Bay campus.

The theme for this year’s Mental Health Week is “we’re all in this together”.

USQ counsellor Kathy Cool-Murphy said the event is being held in recognition of Mental Health Week, October 7 to 13, which is an annual national awareness week that coincides with World Mental Health Day on October 10.

Mrs Cool-Murphy said mental illness could affect every aspect of a person’s life including study, work or relationships.

“During challenging times, the support that people receive from friends, family and the community is vital,” she said.

“This awareness and understanding can come from many sources including tertiary education institutions such as USQ.”

Mrs Cool-Murphy said local and regional events such as USQ Fraser Coast’s Mental Health Day contributed to reducing the stigma associated with mental illness.

Community groups including Uniting Care, Headspace, Women’s Health Centre, Neighbourhood Centre, Centacare and USQ’s counselling interns will be on campus this Wednesday

The 2013 Mental Health Week is being managed by Open Minds. More information is available here.

This article first appeared on The Gympie Times on 7 October, 2013.