Skip to main content
MHAW 2023

Mental Health Awareness Week 2023

Stay up to date on all the events happening over MHAW and get tips for taking care of your mental health through the Dal Student Health Instagram page! 

Friday, March 10 – Friday, March 17 

Halifax Events 

Friday, March 10

Saturday, March 11

Sunday, March 12 

Monday, March 13

Tuesday, March 14

Wednesday, March 15

Thursday, March 16

Friday, March 17

 

Learn more about mental health and mental illness

What is mental health?
Mental Health is our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Good mental health is a state of well-being where a person can cope with everyday stressors while contributing meaningfully to their community. Many systemic factors contribute to good mental health, such as getting out in nature or being physically active, getting enough sleep, and connecting with others. Other factors can diminish mental health, such as experiencing discrimination, lack of access to social supports, and food and housing insecurity.

What is mental illness?
A mental illness is a medical diagnosis, just like heart disease. It involves changes in thinking, mood, and behaviour (or a combination of all three). Mental illness is associated with distress or problems functioning in daily activities and may appear in different forms such as substance use disorders, schizophrenia, and depression. Mental illness is common and treatable. 

Mental health vs mental illness
Although some may use these words interchangeably, they have different meanings and should be viewed differently. A person can experience good or poor mental health whether or not they have a diagnosed mental illness. It is possible for someone with a mental illness to experience good mental health and someone without a mental illness to experience poor mental health.