Do You Know ALGEE?

I spent the day on Saturday, December 7 at the Riddle Hospital Annex with 20 or so others learning about Mental Health First Aid. The 8 hour course helped us identify risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help. Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid is designed to assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis.

Throughout the day we learned more about risk factors and symptoms of  depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis and substance use disorders. With each topics, we addressed an action plan for first aid. The mnemonic A-L-G-E-E helps to remember the steps in the plan.

I have a lot to learn still, but here are the three immediate takeaways for me.

1) We have to stop treating suicide as a taboo word. In order to support someone considering suicide we have to be able to ask "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" or "Are you thinking about suicide"? It's a common thought for people with treatable mental health disorder. We need to take the stigma out of our own minds if we have any chance of helping.

2) Mental Health First aid is not about curing or diagnosing a person's mental health. It is recognizing situations and confidently offering support and assistance to someone until professional help is available. In other words, we do not have to have all the answers. We need to be present and calm and reassuring.

3) Be kind. This one sounds really obvious, even easy, but it takes work. Being kind in this context means re-framing often instinctive thoughts and statements from negative to positive. This will become easier as we de-stigmatize and de-mystify mental health disorders.

There was a lot of information packed into 8 hours. We walked away with a 3 year certification, a reference textbook and links to other information and resources. And takeaway #4 is that I have a lot to learn yet. Will I actually be able to help if there is a need? I won't know unless and until faced with a situation. What I do know is that I am better prepared to help now than I was on December 6th. It was a day well spent and I'm going to keep reading and asking questions and engaging in conversations about mental health. This is how I will get the confidence to do make a difference.

I recommend this class to anyone who has time to take it. It's FREE. If you are local to me, the class is offered once a month at Riddle Hospital. Or you can click here and enter your town to find a course near you.

Keep Smiling Keep Moving
-Paula