New book raises awareness of mental health issues

The Mental Welfare Society has launched a book of writings produced by students from Gibraltar College.
The event held at the John Mackintosh Hall coincides with Mental Health Awareness week with this year’s theme focusing on ‘surviving and thriving’.
Writings within the book include poems and topics such as self-harm, abuse, body image and self-esteem issues.
The Minister for Health, Neil Costa, yesterday launched the book where he thanked the society and the students of the Gibraltar College for all their work.
“Mental is one of those areas of health that unfortunately has not been at the forefront and there is still a lot to be done,” Mr Costa said.
“Just last week my team had discussed having a community outreach programme that deals more and better with people once they are discharged, for example from Ocean Views.”
Mr Costa added that this project would take a lot of work and time, but is a step in the right direction in regards to mental health.
He then recited a College student’s poem called ‘drowning in darkness’, which he felt encapsulated some of the themes included within the book.
At the launch society member Mark Montovio said he hoped the book would help people understand about mental health and emphasised the importance to helping young people deal with any issues.
“We don’t just want young people to survive, we want them to thrive,” Mr Montovio said.
“I hope we can minimise the impact of mental health on the current generation so that the future generations are not as impacted.”