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Mental health first aid Sue Hazleton Luton Borough Council ilot Sue Hazleton – my background • Experience in the private, voluntary and public sectors • Led on workplace health in Camden for Public Health – identified need for more support around mental health issues • Trained as an MHFA trainer – part of a national accredited programme – evidence based • Now working in Public Health in Luton and rolling out programme within Luton’s workplaces What is a mental health problem? “It seemed to me the basic definition of mental illness, this persistent, painful inability to simply be with someone else. It might be lifelong, or it might descend like a sudden catastrophe, this blankness between ourselves and the rest of the world. The blankness might not even be obvious to others. But on our side of that severed connection, it was hell, a life lived behind glass. The only difference between mild depression and severe schizophrenia was the amount of sound and air that seeped in”. – Anon “And of course you are mad, if by a madman we mean a mind that questions and rejects every civilized norm”. – Stephen Fry, Revenge Impact of mental health • Mental health problems affect someone’s ability to get on with their daily life • 1 in 4 British adults experience at least one diagnosable problem in any year • Almost 9% of people in Britain meet the criteria for diagnosis of mixed anxiety and depression Mental health and work – is it an issue? • One in five workers report their job to be very or extremely stressful • One in six workers are likely to experience anxiety, depression or stress-related problems at any one time • Stress, anxiety and depression are responsible for 70 million days sick leave every year • Staff with mental illness not being supported cost UK businesses a total of £26bn per year – equivalent to £1,035 for every employee in the UK workforce What will an MHFA course teach you? • Define mental health and some mental health problems • Reduce the stigma and discrimination of mental health problems • Spot the early signs of a mental health problem • Relate to other people’s experience • Guide someone towards the right support • Look after your own mental health and wellbeing Quotes We receive compulsory resuscitation training annually, which I have never put into practice. This is the first mental health training for the vast majority of our officers, and yet they are meeting people with mental health difficulties almost daily I believe that my awareness of mental health issues has been improved and I feel I will be able to use the knowledge gained every day and in one-off situations Helped me pick up on the warning signs and refer people at an early stage to occupational health for advice/support Change lives “Mental Health is everyone’s responsibility, something MHFA England strongly believes in. They create positive change in people by focusing on individuals’ capacity, ability, skills, knowledge, passion, interest, connections and on their potential to do things and make a difference for themselves. I believe that organisations such as MHFA England are a vital community resource and are leading the way in community engagement and creating networks that enable individuals, families and neighbourhoods to all play a crucial role to change people's lives for the better.” Lord Kamlesh Patel, March 2011, MHFA Patron.