Mental health first aid, or MHFA as it is also known is an encompassing and far-reaching school of thought that has taken hold of the nation’s attention in recent years. With 1 in 5 Australians experiencing a mental illness in their lifetime, there is credence for a more holistic and scientifically approachable manner to talk about, and deal with mental health.
MHFA is a collation of resources and courses designed specifically to equip people with the skills and more foundational knowledge on the best way to assist someone who is having problems and to get them the help they need. With physical first aid being quite normalised and approachable, it stands to reason why MHFA is not more widely accepted and on the same level of focus.
Luckily for all of us, the stigma around mental health is fading.
This article will be going into a little about what MHFA is all about, as well as why more companies and individuals are beginning to take their mental health seriously in 2022.
What Is MHFA?
MHFA is the collated resources and educational training for effective mental health awareness. There are usually no qualifications needed for the basic course, simply an interest in mental health and an acute awareness of holistic practices and empathetic notions.
MHFA focuses on giving participants and qualified individuals the ability to cope and assist someone they suspect to be struggling with a potential mental illness or ailment that is not easily seen. SO not only does it provide important information and skills of betterment for the participant, but it also works at reducing the stigma that is still hanging on mental health awareness and its implications.
Why Mental Health Has Taken Over
As MHFA spreads to international acclaim one must ask the question, “why now?” Well, there are multiple reasons for this not the least of which being the pandemic reaching its critical mass in the last couple of years and causing havoc and introspection on a scale that was previously unheard of. People were stuck inside their homes and there was an uptick in the cases of self-harm and depressive episodes.
This renewed focus on mental health was spearheaded by all sides of the political aisle and was furthered with boosts in social media campaigning and awareness spreading. As a result, there are now over 900,000 trained Australians in mental health first aid, and the number is steadily climbing. With the rising numbers comes an inspiring upward trend in awareness of better mental health and ways in which to approach someone who might be having a tougher time than they let on.
MHFA is a great step in the right direction for mental health awareness in Australia and around the world. The stigma may still reside in the lower echelons of society, but more and more people are beginning to look at things in the right way and approach mental health with a reverence that was once unknowable.