Sometimes, first aid isn’t a bandage, or CPR, or the Heimlich, or calling 911. Sometimes, first aid is you.

     According to local mental health professionals, you are more likely to encounter someone – friend, family member, coworker, neighbor or member of the community – in an emotional or mental crisis than someone having a heart attack.

    Mental health problems – such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders and misuse of alcohol and other drugs – are shockingly common in the United States. In fact, more than one in four American adults will have a mental health problem in a year.

    Weems Community Mental Health Center and Meridian Community College are co-sponsoring Mental Health First Aid, a highly interactive 12-hour course. Similar to first aid and CPR courses, Mental Health First Aid helps those experiencing mental health problems before they can get professional help and support.

    “The goal of Mental Health First Aid is not to turn participants into psychiatrists and therapists,” said Jerome Bates, CMHT, a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor and adult therapist at Weems Community Mental Health Center. “However, knowing how to recognize and help people who are experiencing a mental health crisis can benefit not just those individuals, but the community at large, just as CPR does.”

    The 12-hour training certification course teaches participants a five-step action plan to assess a situation, select and implement interventions and secure appropriate care for the individual. The program introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews common treatments.

    The five-step action plan incorporates the acronym ALGEE:

     • Assess for risk of suicide or harm.

    • Listen non-judgmentally.

    • Give reassurance and information.

    • Encourage appropriate professional help.

    • Encourage self-help and other support strategies.

     “Mental Health First Aid goes beyond emergency intervention. It helps people understand the shroud of fear and misjudgment facing individuals and families who experience mental illnesses and addiction,” said Pace Cooke Emmons, M.A., who also will instruct.

    Ally Kilgore, a psychology major at Mississippi State University, Meridian Campus, said the course is beneficial to people from all walks of life.

    “It’s presented at a level where any person can use the information that they learn – it’s not just for mental health professionals or teachers,” said Kilgore, who took the course last year. “Any person who deals with other people can use this information.”

    Among the goals is to reduce the stigma associated with mental health disorders and move more and more people toward recovery. Participants will learn that when someone might be suicidal, it’s best to ask direct questions — and that using the word “suicide” won’t make things worse.

    “Education about mental health disorders will also combat the persistent stigma that often keeps people from acknowledging they have a problem and getting treatment,” Bates said.

FYI

What: Mental Health First Aid

When: Sept 6, 13, 20 and 27 (Thursdays), from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Magnolia Hall, 1802 Highland Park Ave. (across from Frank Cochran Center)

Instructors: Jerome Bates, M.S., CMHT, and Pace Cooke Emmons, M.A. A certificate of attendance for 12 hours is available upon request.

Cost: $50, includes the Mental Health First Aid Manual and all course materials, plus light supper

Registration: Pre-registration required by Friday, Aug. 17. To register, call MCC Department of Continuing Education at (601) 482-7445.

Sponsored by Weems Community Mental Health Center and Meridian Community College.