In fact Toronto town co-ordinator Ms Fedrick, has invited the public to take part in Toronto's inaugural Hat Day tomorrow (May 20) organised by the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise to aid research into mental illness.

The idea is to get money in the hat to assist mental health research into a variety of illnesses including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, Alzheimers and eating disorders.

It's designed to be a fun day with participants wearing a variety of headgear from elitely sophisticated to the simply outrageous.

Hat Day is a national health consciousness raising campaign promoted by Australian Rotary Health and Toronto business people will be encouraged to wear hats and become part of the good cause.

Judges will visit the various businesses on May 20 checking out the most discerning hats and it's hoped the Mayor Greg Piper will be available to award prizes at 2pm.

Keryl, who has personal experience of the effects of depression, said the Hat Day was also aimed at raising public awareness about the debilitating results of mental illness and the need for more funding to combat these illnesses.

"By 2020 the World Health Organisation predicts that depression alone will become the second leading cause of death world-wide," she said.

"I've been hospitalised twice with depression and was very fortunate to be treated by a new clinic at Warners Bay.

"I have an extremely high-achieving personality and was very tough on myself and this contributed largely to my illnesses.

"Now I function perfectly well but the general public is mostly unaware of the impact that mental illnesses can have on personal life," she said.

Keryl welcomed the recent Federal Budget's funding benefits for mental health care and its attempt to co-ordinate care and flexible funding for people with severe and persistent mental illness.

But she said, like many other needy areas, mental health needed more research to combat its devastating impacts and return affected people to normal lifestyles.