The launch has taken place of a flagship initiative aimed at improving the mental well-being of people in Wales.
The All Wales Mental Health Promotion Network will bring together employers, local authorities, trades unions, health and social care professionals, teachers and voluntary sector professionals in an exchange of ideas on mental health promotion.
Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and hosted by the Wales Centre for Health, the Network is based on the idea that promoting mental health requires a holistic and collaborative approach, involving a diverse range of partners and stakeholders.
Professor Mansel Aylward , Chair of the Network’s Advisory Board, said: “Mental health has long been used interchangeably with, or as a euphemism for, mental illness.
“However, mental health and well-being are now seen as desirable qualities in their own right and much more than merely the absence of symptoms of mental illness. Indeed, mental health can coexist with mental illness.
“Our mental health influences our beliefs, behaviour, perceptions of ourselves and others, and how we interpret change in our lives.
“It is not only our internal thought processes which affect our mental health, but also our social context, lifestyle and immediate environment.”
The Network aims to facilitate the exchange of learning, share promising practices and promote ways of improving mental health.
A spokesman said the new initiative was “dedicated to building a network that will have a powerful and positive impact on the mental health of the individuals and communities of Wales.”
To visit the All Wales Mental Health Promotion Network website, click here.