DCU releases 500 helium balloons to mark World Mental Health Day
Tuesday 10 October 2006

Gareth O’ Callaghan releases the helium balloon at DCU

DCU School of Nursing and its partner hospitals today released in total over 1700 helium balloons to mark World Mental Health Day.

The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is Building Awareness- Reducing Risk: Mental Illness and Suicide.

Well known Presenter Gareth O’ Callaghan launched the event by releasing over 500 balloons from the School of Nursing, tagged with personal messages about mental health.

He said “ World Mental Health Day is an initiative to encourage people to think more positively about themselves. People tend to look at the bad things about themselves, and less at the positives.”

Raphaela Kane from the School of Nursing said “ The release of 500 white balloons from DCU, carrying messages of people's fears, hopes, and dreams in relation to mental health represents a collective response to the need for mental health and the threat of mental illness.”

Students’ Union President Charlene Connolly said “"The transition from school to university can be very unsettling as the majority of students move out of home, lose the support network of their friends and family, and have to accustom themselves to a new teaching environment. The DCU Students' Union offers the 'Student Connect Programme', which gives support to new students in DCU.”

DCU provides a comprehensive range of support services for students including free counselling and health service, an Inter- Faith centre and a Chaplaincy service.

All the balloons are biodegradable and break down naturally. They cause no damage to the environment.