Learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situation and where to turn for help.

Mental Disorder is a diagnosable illness that affects a person thinking, emotional state, and behavior, disrupting the person’s ability to work, carry out daily activities, and engage in satisfying relationships.

Depression and mood disorders - a person who is clinically depressed would have at least one of these two symptoms, nearly every day, for at least two weeks:

• An unusually sad mood
• Loss of enjoyment and interest in activities that use to be enjoyable

Anxiety disorders – Anxiety can vary in severity from mild uneasiness to a terrifying panic attack. An anxiety disorder differs from normal anxiety in the following ways:

• It is more intense
• It is long lasting
• It interferes with the person’s work, activities, or relationships.

Mental Health First Aid teaches about recovery and resiliency – the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better and use their strengths to stay well.

When you take a course, you learn how to apply the Mental Health First Aid action plan in a variety of situations, including when someone is experiencing:

• Panic attacks
• Suicidal thoughts or behaviors
• Non-suicidal self-injury
• Acute psychosis (e.g., hallucinations or delusions)
• Overdose or withdrawal from alcohol or drug use
• Reaction to a traumatic event

The opportunity to practice — through role plays, scenarios, and activities — makes it easier to apply these skills in a real-life situation.