Mental health and clinical education

At the time of writing, World Mental Health Day has just raised awareness of the need for education and advocacy globally in relation to mental illness and its effects on people ’ s lives. 1 Mental health is an important topic in clinical education in several ways. Health professionals need to learn how to recognise, interact with and refer people with mental illness appropriately. Clinical educators must be alert for signs of mental illness in their learners and promote mental health; they also need to observe learners and how they interact with and discuss people with mental health problems. Finally, teachers and learners need to be mindful of their own mental health and selfcare.