Mental Health First Aid

One of the things we spoke of in the early planning meetings of the Peer to Peer Support Network I helped create at work, was to aim for a Mental Health First Aider in every office building, a bit like the list of first aiders that are often listed in large buildings where we work.

Since then, I’ve become aware of a national campaign to rollout Mental Health First Aid in each workplace in England. You can find out more at http://mhfaengland.org

MHFA run a 2-day course, if it’s like the in-house training from my employer, it offers practical skills to give participants the confidence and openness to talk about mental health. 

We may not have time or resources to take 2 days to be trained in Mental Health First Aid, but we can all make a difference as soon as possible.

Firstly, we can start with ourselves - keep an eye on ourselves and be alert and aware of your own mental state – 

• Are we sleeping ok?
• Are we more irritable with friends?
• Are we finding it hard to concentrate?
• Do we have somebody to chat to? 

Looking at those we interact with (at work or home)  - can we develop a listening community? Can we get to know these folk so well that we can see -

• Change in mood or appearance?
• Any changes in their tone of voice?
• Changes in behaviour?

Prevention is better than cure, let’s not allow anyone to reach the point where they need to take time out.