Mental Health First Aid for Faith Communities

WHY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID? 

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of MH and substance use challenges among adults. 

• On average, 130 people die by suicide every day. Source: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• From 1999 to 2019, 841,000 people died from drug overdoses. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Nearly 1 in 5 in the U.S. lives with a mental illness. Source: National Institute of Mental Health

WHAT IT COVERS • Common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges. • Common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges. • How to interact with a person in crisis. • How to connect a person with help. • Expanded content on trauma, substance use and self-care.

Learn how to respond with the Mental Health First Aid Action Plan (ALGEE): 

A ssess for risk of suicide or harm. 

L isten non judgmentally. 

G ive reassurance and information. 

E ncourage appropriate professional help. 

E ncourage self-help and other support strategies.

Sources: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (n.d.). Suicide statistics. https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.) Drug overdose deaths. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/index.html National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (n.d.). Mental illness. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness