In order to make the public aware of what mental health is, the Creuse partners of the Territorial Mental Health Project offered fun awareness-raising activities in the department.
In Bourganeuf, it was at the Agora social center (1), through its family-solidarity coordinator, Murielle Martin, joined by Jennifer Le Moine, public health coordinator, replacing Nadine Rondet, who came back to offer an following- midday of exchanges and information.
As part of the thematic week dedicated to this aspect of health, the meeting was an opportunity to recall the definition of mental health by the WHO. Mental health “is not only defined by the absence of psychic disorders. It depends on the permanent search for a balance between all the dimensions of our life. It is influenced by living conditions and significant events…”. Thus it was emphasized that contrary to many prejudices, mental health depends on many factors, which however sometimes may seem trivial.
In order to raise awareness among the general public and to participate in the inclusion of vulnerable people, a coffee-discussion moment was proposed. Nearly twenty participants of all generations discussed, shared testimonies and experiences. Teenagers in particular mentioned their difficulties with certain institutional services.
Playful approaches
In order to simulate the psychic handicap caused by the feeling of mental isolation, some entered a huge plastic bubble, made available by Unafam (2).
Others have gladly played Préjugix, a game made up of boxes presented like medicine containers, but filled with the most instructive questions and answers. The viewing of the educational clip created by the mental health site Pyscom “The mental cosmos”, provided its explanations on mental health in a colorful way. If an Esat monitor insisted on the fact that one should not hesitate to talk regarding mental health and a hospital educator mentioned the balance between body and mind, a young girl felt that it was important to feel good “in your head”. All agreed to recognize that the subject concerns everyone and that it is essential that a collective awareness exists, in order to avoid prejudices.
But it is clear that in recent years, mental health has been undermined by the health crisis, the economic context or the war in Ukraine. Hence an anxiety-provoking climate and the lack of certainty regarding the future, forcing some to release their words and feelings.