Mental Health First Aid, what is it and why is it important?

This week I attended an excellent two day training course on mental health first aid and as a result I am recognised by Mental Health First Aid England ("MHFA England") as qualified to give mental health first aid. The training was delivered by Brendan at Mood Mental Health Training and I can whole heartedly recommend it.

What is poor mental health?

MHFA England include the following conditions in its definition of poor mental health; anxiety, depression, and psychosis . There are obviously many different ways these conditions manifest themselves including eating disorders, self harm, hallucinations, delusions, and suicidal thoughts. Interestingly MHFA England makes a distinction between poor mental health and mental ill health with the latter being longer lasting, more easily diagnosable and less likely to be caused by a specific event. 

What is mental health first aid?

MHFA England define mental health first aid is the immediate intervention to support a person experiencing poor mental health before professional help is accessed or if professional help is not required. It is important to note that a mental health first aider is nota professionally qualified therapist, counsellor or diagnostician but will be able to provide immediate relief from anguish and sign post appropriate further support. 

MHFA England suggest that this is done by following the stages in the acronym ALGEE, namely approach, listen, give support, encourage engagement with professional support and encourage engagement with other support services.

The training was invaluable in that it highlighted several online services and resources that can be useful to someone experiencing poor mental health for example The Hub of Hope which signposts support groups for different types of mental health illness, Beat,  a charity specifically supporting those with eating disorders, and EIPS an NHS service dealing with early stages of psychosis.

Why is mental health first aid important?

Mental health first aid is important because since the pandemic and also as a result of increasing costs of living the number of people experiencing poor mental health or mental ill health is increasing (Mental health statistics: prevalence, services and funding in England, House of Commons Library 2024, p16). Pre pandemic 10% of the population of the UK reported experiencing moderate to severe depressive symptoms and this figure had increased to 21% between January and March 2021. There are also concerns about inequalities in mental health Men and women from Afro- Caribbean communities have higher rates of post traumatic stress disorder a higher suicide risk and are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia (Khan et al, 2017). Children from the poorest 20% of households are four times more likely to have serious mental health difficulties by the age of 11 than those from the wealthiest 20% of households (Morrison Gutman et al, 2015).

In terms of suicide the Samaritans report that reported suicides increased by 6.5% between 2022 and 2023. Although women are statistically more likely to attempt suicide than men men are more likely to be successful (rate of 17.1 per 100,000 for men compared to 5.6 per 100,000 for women) (Samaritans, Latest Suicide Data).

Accessing to mental health services through the NHS is extremely difficult. Sheffield hit the headlines this year with the BBC reporting that in 2023 the waiting list for an adult to have a test for ADHD on the NHS was 2,000 years because there were over 6,000 people on the waiting list and in the last twelve months the NHS in Sheffield had carried out 3 tests.

Why is mental health first aid training important to Open Gates Outdoors?

We are increasingly working with mental health support groups and very often our third sector partners include people who are vulnerable to poor mental health or mental ill health. This training and qualification allows Open Gates Outdoors to provide outdoor activities safely to all its partners and to increase the impact of its activities on those vulnerable to or experiencing poor mental health.