Recieve a call from our psychologists in the next 30 mins to understand your treatment options better
Recieve a call from our psychologists in the next 30 mins to understand your treatment options better
14 October,2016 | Reading Time: 3 minutes
Mental health first aid (MHFA) is provided to someone who is developing a mental illness, having a mental crisis or someone with worsening of an existing mental illness. The skills required to provide are basic and easy enough for anyone in society to learn and be of help.
The basic skills required to provide Mental Health First Aid are summarised in the action plan of the programs, which is ALGEE. ALGEE consists of 5 key elements that were found consistent across many different guidelines.
The first step in the action plan is to approach the person, find if there is any crisis they are experiencing and identify what the crisis is and help them deal with it. The skills needed for this step of Mental Health First Aid are:
Most of the time, it is seen that people suffering from mental illness want to be heard. Listening may sound like a small thing to do, but in many cases, it can have a tremendous effect. Even for a person without any mental health issue, under a stressful situation, being heard can give the kind of relief that an intervention would give. Skills needed:
Once the person feels heard, they feel safe and comfortable. Now they would be in a better position to accept any kind of support given.
Here the aider can elaborate on the professional help available for their condition. Many times the person in need hesitate to get a professional help due to the stigma attached. The aider has to communicate the importance of this professional help and also about the outcomes if they ignore professional help.
Educate them on the self-help strategies they can use to help themselves. Encourage them to involve their family and friends and get support from them. Also, educate them on how communicating with other people who have similar issues can be of great help to them.
If you need more information about Mental Health First Aid Skills or have any queries, do send it to us at info@cadabamshospitals.com. Or visit Cadabam’s Hospitals. Alternatively, you reach us on our 24/7 helpline number- +91 97414 76476.