Mental Health First Aid – Could you help?

Krista Paterson, (edited by Dr Daniel Andrews) School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne

If you suspected a colleague or student was showing signs of a mental health illness would you know what to do next?

Physical first aid is accepted as essential in our workplaces but assistance for mental health matters is far harder to come by.

Mental health issues in the workplace

Every year, 1 in 5 Australians experience a mental health issue (Australian Institute of Health & Welfare). So, in a typical workplace, there are multiple people dealing with a mental health problem at any one time.

Mental health remains a divisive topic with stigma still existing around people with mental health problems and even those who come forward saying they have a problem.

Mental health issues in higher education

Mental health issues are prevalent in the higher education sector, with both academics and students at increased risk.

It’s not hard to see why the typical student who is living away from home (perhaps for the first time), experiencing increased academic pressures and perhaps also financial strain, is at an increased risk of a mental health issues (Said et al., 2013; Andrews & Wilding, 2004). Their teachers too are at high risk of a mental health issue with job insecurity, increased casualisation of the workforce and high workloads all contributing to the problem (Winefield et al., 2003; Kraimer et al., 2019).

Could you help someone who was struggling with their mental health?

Evidence-based tools have been developed to help us build the skills to assist someone who is struggling with a mental health issue.

One such technique based on scientific evidence is Mental health first aid, or MHFA (Kitchener & Jorm, 2002).

MHFA teaches early intervention techniques to try and assist someone who may be having a mental health issue. Another goal of the MHFA training is to reduce the stigma around mental health by educating the participants (Kitchener & Jorm, 2006).

Even though many people experience mental illness, everyone is unique, and the exact experience is different for everyone. But there are ways to recognise when someone may be experiencing a mental health issue. Has the individual started behaving differently to normal, are there differences in the feelings or mood they are displaying? If the answer is yes it may be time to intervene.

The ALGEE early intervention technique

The ALGEE early intervention technique taught through MHFA provides a framework for how mental health first aiders can assist an individual who they suspect may be experiencing a mental health illness:

Approach the person and assess and assist with any crisis
Listen and communicate non-judgmentally
Give information and support
Encourage professional help
Encourage other supports

By learning more about mental health illness and how to recognise the signs that someone is having a problem with their mental health, we can start to break down the stigma around these issues that remain prevalent in society today. It will also allow us to provide assistance to those around us, including our colleagues and our students.

So as another uncertain teaching semester gets underway, do you need to learn more about mental health and mental health illnesses?

Doing so is likely to increase your own awareness of your own mental health, and may even lead you to seek help when needed.

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Resources:

Said, D., Kypri, K., & Bowman, J. (2013). Risk factors for mental disorder among university students in Australia: Findings from a web-based cross-sectional survey. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48(6), 935–944. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0574-x
Andrews, B., & Wilding, J. M. (2004). The relation of depression and anxiety to life-stress and achievement in students. British Journal of Psychology, 95(4), 509–521. https://doi.org/10.1348/0007126042369802
Winefield, A. H., Gillespie, N., Stough, C., Dua, J., Hapuarachchi, J., & Boyd, C. (2003). Occupational stress in Australian university staff: Results from a national survey. International Journal of Stress Management, 10(1), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.10.1.51
Kraimer, M. L., Greco, L., Seibert, S. E., & Sargent, L. D. (2019). An investigation of academic career success: The new tempo of academic life. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 18(2), 128–152. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2017.0391
Kitchener, B. A., & Jorm, A. F. (2002). Mental health first aid training for the public: Evaluation of effects on knowledge, attitudes and helping behavior. BMC Psychiatry, 2, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-2-10
Kitchener, B. A., & Jorm, A. F. (2006). Mental health first aid training: Review of evaluation studies. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(1), 6–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1614.2006.01735.x
Mental Health First Aid Australia (https://mhfa.com.au/)