Mental Health Month 2026

BEING – Mental Health Consumers is the independent, peak body representing people living with mental health challenges and advocating for system reform to improve the public mental healthcare system in NSW.

To acknowledge this year’s Mental Health Month, BEING decided to focus on our members and the value of the lived experience that each one of us as consumers is empowered with.

Across the four weeks of Mental Health Month, we’ll release one video per week, each one focused on a different one of our members: Jen, Sharon, Ezra and Joel. The series covers a wide range of experiences: including anxiety, depression and alters as well as things like personality, schizo-affective and eating disorders and much more. The stories explore what it feels like to live with challenges like these, how they affect day to day life and what treatment and coping strategies different people follow.

Collectively, these videos make a powerful statement: about the breadth of lived experience of mental health challenges, the differences and similarities that people experience, and the lessons that we can learn from each other. They bring to life how widespread mental health challenges are, with 1 in 5 Australians experiencing some kind of mental health challenge in any year. Ultimately, we hope the videos demonstrate the value of community and the power of story sharing to provide validation, solidarity and hope for those going through the toughest of times.

The social media campaign features thought-provoking, short clips linking to longer, 4-5 minute videos published on our YouTube channel. At the end of the month, all the stories will be added to the lived experience videos already hosted on our website.

If watching these videos resonates with you, and you’re not yet a member of BEING – Mental Health Consumers, please consider filling in the application form to join us. Membership is free and provides the opportunity to join a community of peers and to use your own story and experience in system advocacy.

Click here to become a member.

Finally, we want to express out utmost thanks and gratitude to Jen, Sharon, Ezra and Joel for their time and energy in creating these videos and their courage and generosity to share their own lived experience that it might help others in need. Thank you.