How to react if a loved one has an anxiety attack? What to say to a university that is having suicidal thoughts? Too often, we feel helpless or uncomfortable in the face of mental health difficulties experienced by those around us. However, according to the World Health Organization, mental disorders affect almost one in five people, or 13 million French people.
It is in the face of this observation that the Mental Health and Psychiatry Conference of September 2021 implemented the Mental Health First Aid (PSSM) program. Today, as of June 1, 2023, more than 60,000 first responders have been trained in the country, the General Directorate of Health announced on Tuesday.
Fight stigma by getting informed
What does it consist of? Mental health first aid originated in Australia in the early 2000s and is largely inspired by more widespread physical first aid training. The goal is for the rescuer to be able to intervene with a person in pain, listen to them, and provide first aid.
The training “is aimed at anyone who wishes to be better informed on the subject and to be able to provide help, if necessary, to a suffering person in their environment”, details the General Directorate of Health.
First, the program provides a better understanding of mental health, an often misunderstood subject, by gaining general knowledge about these disorders. The focus is on four of them: depressive, anxiety, psychotic and substance use disorders.
It is therefore a matter of knowing how to identify the signs and the various manifestations that they can take in the affected people in order to be able to react in the most appropriate way.
A better understanding of mental health disorders contributes, according to specialists, to combating stigma “by changing the social representations of pathologies, but also by improving the situation of those affected”, writes the PSSM association, which highlights the place of training .
scenarios
The course, which lasts two days, alternates theoretical information on mental disorders and role-playing games. For example, a trainer can play the role of a co-worker who suffers from a depressive disorder and the trainees are led to learn relational skills to listen without judgment or to reassure them using the correct terms.
The objective is also to “better deal with aggressive behaviors” and thus integrate theoretical and practical tools to intervene with a person in crisis or difficulty.
For their part, the lifeguard must also feel able to help those around them without affecting their personal mental health too much.
youth mental health
“This device in no way replaces the care of the people involved by professionals”, specifies the site of the PSSM association. However, the objective is, after an initial intervention, to accompany the person concerned towards treatment if necessary. In particular, this promotes earlier treatment and recourse to care.
The Ministry of Health has set itself the goal of reaching 150,000 trained first aiders in France by 2025. The focus is particularly on the student environment, as young people are especially vulnerable to mental health problems. Today, among those trained, 8% work alongside students.
The PSSM association also plans to establish a training course for young people “especially developed for adults who live or work with adolescents (secondary and high school) and young adults”.
Source: BFM TV
