Mental disorders are an ongoing and growing concern for many individuals.
It is reported in the United States, every year, one in five (18.9%) American adults experiences a mental disorder. Mental disorders are just as common as white cars. Mental disorders is a topic many of us need to learn about to stop the misinformation and negative language, but rather be a resource to help others in their time of need.
Members of the Eventide Campus participated in the ‘Make it Okay’ Ambassador training. This training will prepare us to make cultural change with our community to de-stigmatize mental illness and ‘Make it Okay’ for others to talk about mental health, seek treatment, and/or get the necessary help. After this training, members were intrigued by the topic and sought out more education.
Five team members from the Eventide Campus went on to complete a Mental Health First Aide (MHFA) course.
The MHFA course is an internationally acclaimed and evidence-based, accredited training program that empowers and equips participants with the knowledge and confidence needed to support others struggling with mental health or substance abuse.
There were a lot of great takeaways from these courses. The stigma of mental health can lead people to hide their issues and delay seeking help, but the role of the person trained in MHFA can help to reduce this stigma. The importance of listening nonjudgmentally, assessing for risk of harm to self or others, and encouraging those struggling to seek help, can be a reason someone gets back to their life successfully. Taking time to care for your self is very important. We have all heard the saying, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” Self-care could include getting enough sleep, exercising, spending time with your loved ones, making time for a hobby, or reading.
Through this course, team members also learned how to apply an action plan in a variety of situations, including when someone is experiencing panic attacks, suicidal thoughts or behaviors, non-suicidal self-injury, acute psychosis, overdose or withdrawal from alcohol or drugs, and reaction to a traumatic event.
This course also identified several sources to seek treatment. One source of assistance is dialing “988.” This three-digit dialing code – “988” – connects people to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline where support from trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 nationwide for anyone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, or any other emotional distress.
The goal from this education is for team members to use the knowledge on the Eventide campus, as well as within our surrounding communities. A lot of our community members struggle in some way with mental health concerns. Mental illness is everywhere… and having a mental illness is okay.
