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Why MHFA? Why should we be aware of mental health problems? Mental health problems can affect people at any time of life in different ways. They affect not only individuals and their families, but friends, work colleagues and employers too. Many people suffer the symptoms of a mental illness for a long time before they seek help, and this may have a damaging effect on their everyday life, their families, their work and even their physical health. However, with appropriate professional help and the support of people around them, most people with mental health problems experience significant improvement or recovery. This is why it is important that mental health problems should be recognised as early as possible, and understood as widely as possible. What is Mental Health First Aid MHFA is a name for the help given to someone experiencing a mental health problem before professional help is obtained. The programme was developed originally in the Australian Health Service, has been adopted in many countries worldwide, and is now available in England. The aims are: to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others to provide help to prevent the mental health problem developing into a more serious state to promote recovery to good mental health to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem MHFA does not teach people to be therapists. However it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems, how to provide initial help, and how to guide someone towards appropriate professional help. The emphasise is very much that early intervention promotes recovery.
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