Program overview
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The MHFA course was developed by Betty Kitchener and Professor Troy Jorm. The aim of the course is to improve the mental health literacy of members of the Australian Community, and to provide people with the skills required to administer “Mental Health First Aid”.
Initially designed as a 12-hour face-to-face course, the course can now be presented in an e-learning format. Training is delivered by instructors who have completed a 5-day Instructor Training Course and who have relevant mental health expertise.
The philosophy behind the course is that mental health crises, such as suicidal and self-harming actions, may be avoided through early intervention with people developing mental disorders. If crises do arrive, then members of the public and Karingal Inc staff can take action to reduce the harms that could result, just as they would use their General First Aid skills.
The Adult Mental Health First Aid course content covers; principles of Mental Health First Aid, Mental Health problems in Australia, Depression, Suicide, Anxiety Disorders, Psychosis, and Substance Use Disorders. All sessions include up to date data, causes of illness/disability, first aid principles for each illness and helpful resources.
Burden of disease in Australia (2003)
Mental Health problems can be more disabling for the sufferer than many chronic illnesses as the above graph shows. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has concluded that mental health problems rank as the third biggest health problem in Australia after heart disease and cancer. Of the different mental health problems, depression is the biggest single cause of disease burden. (‘Disease burden refers to the effects of premature death, disability, illness and injury on a ‘healthy’ life. The burden of disease in Australian’s population is measure by ‘disability adjusted life years’, or years of healthy living lost through premature death or living with disability.)
Mental disorders rank as the largest source of disability in Australia. There is all too often additional suffering and stigma towards people with a mental disorder. The World Health Organisation stress that approaches to mental ill-health should be fundamentally the same as approaches to physical ill health.
Dual Disability is used to describe people with an Intellectual Disability who also have a mental illness. Data from the ‘Disability, Ageing and Carers Survey 1998’ indicate that people with intellectual disability are at high risk of developing a serious mental illness. The sampled population showed 1.3% had a psychotic disorder, 8% had a depressive disorder and 14% had an anxiety disorder. These mental illnesses had been present with the person for at least 6 months and were of such severity that it too was disabling.