Knowing how to perform CPR or use a defibrillator can be a lifesaver — but how many people are familiar with mental health first aid?
The ability to recognize when someone is in crisis and needs help is becoming an important skill as more people are diagnosed with issues such as substance misuse, depression, anxiety and even psychosis. In fact, research shows one in three Canadians will struggle with mental health issues at some time in their lives.
Being able to recognize symptoms and knowing how to deal with them are keys — and can have as much potential to save a life as knowing CPR, says Donna Bonertz, employment and rehabilitation coordinator with Port Coquitlam’s New View Society, which is hosting a mental health first aid training program Feb. 22 and 23.
“It’s the equivalent of a regular first aid course, which teaches you what to do when coming upon an accident if there’s bleeding, how to stop the bleeding and connect the person to appropriate care. Mental health first aid is just like that,” she told The Tri-City News.
Since introducing the course in 2012, Bonertz has trained more than 500 people, many of them police officers, health care workers or bylaw officers who sometimes come across people in distress, but also family members and caregivers.
“It’s just a real mix of people: municipal employees, who work on the front lines in libraries, bus drivers, you name it. What they have in common is uncertainty or just lack of experience in identifying who might be in a crisis,” Bonertz said.
The mental health first aid course was developed by Dr. Anthony Jorm and Betty Kitchener at the University of Melbourne (Australia) for the Mental Health Commission of Canada and is based on the experiences of people who went through a mental health crisis and their caregivers.
“We go through case studies that are actual events,” Bonertz said, noting that role playing is an important part of the 12-hour, two-day course.
Participants will also learn how to identify signs of mental health problems, what interventions and treatments are effective, and how to get professional help. Common myths surrounding mental health problems will also be dispelled, said Bonertz, who explained that stigma can keep people from seeking treatment.
One thing people might be surprised to learn during the course, she said, is that substance abuse or misuse is a mental health issue that is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Also important is how to talk to someone you think may be struggling. The training offers suggestions, such as how to talk to a person who may be contemplating suicide as well as information about how to protect yourself in a situation where someone may act unpredictably.
“We show you how to connect with that person to try to intervene just a little bit so you can get them on a path to connect with somebody on a professional basis and keep them above water in the meantime.”
COURSE DETAILS
• The course offered at the New View Society will be on Feb 22 and 23. The $165 early bird rate is in effect until Feb. 5. Lunch and coffee breaks are provided, and those who complete the course are issued a certificate. Register at 604-941-3222, Ext. 110 or email dbonertz@newviewsociety.ca. For more information, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.ca.
