Authors Sarah Martin (Dear Psychosis,) and Bel Vidal (Exuberance), share their stories this Mental Health Month.

October is Mental Health Month in Australia and this year’s theme is ‘Let’s talk about it’. With so many myths and misconceptions around mental health, it’s no wonder people feel ashamed or reluctant to talk about it. And the more we talk about it, the more we demystify it, and the more we contribute towards ending the stigma.

By sharing their stories through two very different award winning books – Dear Psychosis, a work of narrative non-fiction and Exuberance, a fictional novel inspired by lived experience – Sydney-based authors Sarah Martin and Bel Vidal are breaking the silence around mental illness.

Sarah and Bel will be in conversation with Dayna Groppenbacher, former Service Manager overseeing a mental health outreach program.

Sarah Martin is wife to Shane and mother to three adult children, two cats, and a dog who thinks she’s human.

Despite being an experienced theatre nurse and part of an extended family of medical professionals, nothing could have prepared Sarah for navigating the health system after her daughter Alice began experiencing psychosis and later, bipolar disorder.

Dear Psychosis, is Sarah’s first book and describes not only the dramatic rescue of her unwell daughter from Turkey, but the ongoing impact of helping a loved one deal with mental illness. Most of all, it is a story of recovery, hope and the power of family.

Dear Psychosis, was awarded the 2023 international Annual Goody Business Book Award (Self-Help Memoir category) and was also a 1st Place Winner in the narrative non-fiction category at the Chanticleer International Book Awards for 2023.

When not tackling the stigma and silence around mental illness, Sarah loves playing golf and making and baking sourdough bread. Sarah’s next book, a cozy mystery, is coming out in 2025.

Bel Vidal is the pen name of a Bolivian-born writer who has called Sydney home since 1988.

Her works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry have been widely published, both in English and Spanish, under her pen name, her real name, and other pseudonyms. She was the recipient of an Australian Council of the Arts grant to publish a bilingual collection of poems and short stories, Rainbow of Dreams.

An early draft of her debut novel, Exuberance was shortlisted for the Varuna-Harper Collins award for manuscript development, and was awarded the five-day Varuna Awards Residential Masterclass.

Whilst Exuberance addresses the upheavals of what it means to live (and live with someone) with bipolar disorder, it is ultimately a story of resilience, relationships and new possibilities, with plenty of twists and turns in between.

Bel is a communications specialist in the not-for-profit sector. Outside work, she is a mental health advocate, book lover, film buff, hiker, traveller, blogger, and firm believer it is never too late to start something new. Her collection of fiction and non-fiction stories, Tales of Suburban Castaways will be released in September 2024.