Healthy Western Sydney

Reach out

During Mental Health Month

Mental health refers to our state of wellbeing and enables us to learn and work well, contribute to our communities, cope with stress, and realise our abilities.

October is Mental Health Month. This month encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of if we have experienced mental illness or not. It gives us the chance to understand the importance of good mental health and encourages people to reach out for help when needed. Research shows that positive mental health is associated with increased learning, creativity and productivity, more positive relationships, and improved physical health and life expectancy.

Over two in five Australians aged 16-85 years will experience a mental illness during their lifetime.1 Last year, 16,989 people in Western Sydney were diagnosed with a mental health condition.2

Over 3,000 people die by suicide in Australia each year, which is an average of nine lives lost per day.3

Mental Health in Western Sydney

Building strong social and personal relationships and feeling part of a community are crucial to preserving good mental health and contributing to people’s recovery. However, if you are experiencing a mental health condition, it’s important to remember that there are additional support services available. The earlier you seek support, the sooner you’ll start to feel better. Western Sydney is one of the most diverse communities in Australia, so WentWest, the Western Sydney Primary Health Network, works with partners across the region to provide culturally appropriate, timely and affordable services.

1. ABS 2022, National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2. WentWest Health Information Unit, Mental Health GP Diagnostics data 3. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021, Causes of Death, Australia

Head to Health - The Right Care, at The Right Time

Head to Health is a free phone line connecting community members to local services, including Head to Health hubs, for quality, timely care. Head to Health hubs are staffed by trained mental health professionals and peer workers who have been on similar mental health journeys.

If you need support, call Head to Health on 1800 595 212

I’m on my recovery journey now, so I can meet clients where they’re at because I’ve been there. It really helps them to know they’re not alone, there is someone who’s been through what they’re experiencing who can help guide them through.

– Rebecca Yu, Head to Health Peer Worker.

Know the Signs

If you think you or someone you know may be struggling, it’s important to remember that there is support available. The following are signs that you or your loved one may benefit from speaking to a medical or mental health professional: 9 Feeling anxious or worried 9 Feeling depressed or unhappy 9 Emotional outbursts 9 Sleep problems 9 Appetite or weight changes 9 Being quiet or withdrawn 9 Substance abuse 9 Feeling guilty or worthless 9 Sudden changes in behaviours or feelings

If you are experiencing any of these signs, please reach out to your GP or health professional for support. For immediate crisis support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 and in an emergency, always call triple zero (000).

Find out more about mental health services available in Western Sydney: wentwest.com.au/MentalHealth

CROSSWORD #0561 CROSSWORD #0562

ACROSS

1. Make judgments 5. Grownup efts 10. Marsh wader 14. Between tasks 15. Bird-related 16. Spike 17. Better writing? 18. Earth, in sci-fi fare 19. Hose annoyance 20. They're off the main drag 23. Valuable connections 24. Too weird 25. Ceilings 27. Nonfat advocate Jack 30. Big name in hotels 33. Asian ox 36. Hardly a striking individual 38. Farm machinery company 39. Bone under a watch 41. Road, in Quebec 42. Flight paths 43. Investigator's sources 45. Olympics sticker 47. Posed for pics, perhaps 48. Sees 50. Impersonate 53. Attack like a turtle 54. Up 57. Flock sound 59. Chuck Berry's medium 64. Military doctor's concern 66. Hullabaloo 67. Perimeter contents 68. Relish 69. Goggles 70. Wilderness retreats 71. Start to come and go? 72. Be around 73. Notable time periods

DOWN

1. Mint devices 2. Actor Murphy 3. Leave out, as a syllable 4. Coin takers 5. Gabs 6. At least once 7. It often comes down to this 8. Empty-vehicle weight 9. Clean and jerk alternative 10. Kind, derogatorily 11. Railings 12. Windows image 13. Collectors' goals 21. Taste, as wine 22. More than implied 26. Courtroom bargain 28. A lot? 29. Mousy color 31. Keiko of "Free Willy", for one 32. Home out on a limb 33. Popular season 34. Bar buys 35. Campers' burdens 37. "It's ___ a pleasure" 40. Resembling 44. Mark with a branding iron 46. Showing sincerity 49. Surgeon's request 51. Bounder 52. Vehement speech 55. More miffed 56. Tennis champ Dementieva 57. Bundle in the field 58. "Tosca" solo 60. Induce, in a way 61. Brown-skinned fruit 62. Expresses curiosity 63. "Bonny" belle 65. Call for attention

ACROSS

1. Peat sources 5. Weak and wan 11. Meadow 14. Capital of Germany? 15. Hardly, if ever 16. Most junk mail 17. Clay-pigeon launcher 18. Fantasies 20. Aesop's thistle-eater 21. Feds like Ness 22. Moulin Rouge attraction 23. Closet collection 25. Venus and Serena, e.g. 26. Grinders, of a sort 28. Game with a jackpot 29. Put on a pedestal 30. Evil's root, it's said 31. Budgetary excess 34. Check for letters? 35. Perfectly clear 36. Spice 37. Book's last word 38. Aleutian attire 39. Buddhist concept 40. Uses a pacifier 41. Fall foliage shade 42. Pungent relish 45. Florentine poet 46. What mechanics do 47. Crooned 48. Put away the dishes? 51. Imploring 53. Glazed unit 54. Solidly behind 55. Batter's position 56. Sum for a hand 57. Like Oz's woodman 58. Got nervous 59. Divas often have big ones

DOWN

1. Sony format 2. Shared between us 3. Savanna or prairie 4. Drench to the bone 5. Prepares to paint 6. Name in chair design 7. Ireland's ___ Islands 8. Brewery item 9. Educed 10. Ming, for one 11. Sharp weapon 12. Award honoring Poe 13. Some sports orgs. 19. Really liking, informally 21. Civil wrong, in law 24. Drill sergeant's order 25. Braga of Hollywood 26. Hardly worth mentioning 27. Burly bovines 28. Places for oars 30. Like swamp water 31. Having better than

20/20 vision 32. Cartoon mail-order company 33. An udder thing 35. Mangle 36. Spar on a yacht 38. Least robust 39. ___ fu 40. Paparazzi target 41. Covered ground 42. Moved like rush-hour traffic 43. French artist Matisse 44. Sinclair with a Pulitzer 45. Cap of yore 47. Gluttony and lust 49. Chorister's voice 50. Driver's gizmos 52. Beachgoers often get one 53. Initials of a noted "Wizard"