Just a few reasons why Mental Health First Aid is important for your organization:

Mental Illnesses are common and recovery is possible.
Stigma prevents people from getting help, and fear prevents others from offering help.
People are more likely to get help if someone close to them suggests it.
We can all make a difference if we know how to talk about it.

• Nearly one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness (51.5 million in 2019). (NIMH)

• 1 in 5 American children ages 3-17 — about 15 million — have a diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioral disorder in any given year. Only 20% of these children are ever diagnosed; 80% — about 12 million — aren't receiving treatment. (TODAY)

• In 2019 47,511 Americans died by suicide and an estimated 1.38 million made suicide attempts. (AFSP)

• About 80% of adults with depression reported at least some difficulty with work, home and social activities because of their depression. (CDC)

• On average, only 3 percent of a government’s health budget is spent on mental health programs. (WHO)

• Nearly one-third of all adolescents aged 13-18 will experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetime. (Washington Post)

"I wanted to send you a note of thanks for organizing the Mental Health First Aid training. Although I'm sure that none of us *want* to be in situations where we put the training to use, I recently found myself in such a situation and I cannot convey how grateful I was to have gone through the training.

I hope that we're able to bring the training back for folks who might not have been able to attend." ~University Staff Member, February 24, 2022

Approximately 6 weeks post-training, I send a followup survey to ask participants about their experiences since the training. Here are a few of their answers:

• Very recently, a student told me in a phone call that she considered harming herself on the way home. I immediately assessed and realized that she needed professional help... I listened as the student talked. I asked her if she would like to talk to a trained counselor and she agreed. I called The Trevor Project (directly from the resource guide) and was able to merge the calls so that the student and the counselor could talk without me listening. The MHFA training directly guided my actions, and if I didn't have the knowledge gained and the resource guide available, I would have been at a loss for any way to help my student. ~ University Staff Member

• I think it has made me think more during daily interactions with people as to their state of mind and how they may be feeling, especially with everything that is going on in the world right now ~ Undergraduate College Student

• I think that this training has elevated my empathy/sympathy in certain situations. It has allowed me to more easily recognize when those around me might be struggling with their mental health and ways to open up the conversation. ~ University Staff Member

• I'm grateful for the information about best practices and how to handle difficult situations with students. This has always been one of the scariest parts of being a graduate student and instructor, and I've felt less nervous since the training. It was a challenging but important experience. Thinking about the ALGEE framework has also helped me manage my own mental health during the pandemic. ~ Undergraduate College Student

• I... was not afraid to ask one of my friends about suicide when I was concerned about the change in her posts. She said no, but she was very happy that I asked her. ~ Graduate Student

• Much more comfortable and understand that mental health is a bigger issue than I thought. I kind of thought I was going through some stuff alone, it helped me feel not so alone. ~ Undergraduate College Student

• The language I use has since changed. I'm unafraid… and instead I use phrases that decrease stigma. It's subtle yet impactful as I'm increasingly getting myself and my peers more comfortable with mental health topics. ~ Undergraduate College Student

• The most helpful part was giving me words/sentences to use and having me practice them. I use them!

• It has really helped me, both as a TA for new freshmen and just as a friend. I feel like I’m better at listening. I was able to ask a friend whether he had considered going to therapy and he decided that that was the right choice for him. ~ Undergraduate College Student

• It has made me a better problem solver and allowed me to approach conflicts in a professional and structured way, even if these conflicts do not involve a person with a mental health/substance abuse disorder. ~ Undergraduate College Student

• It allowed me to gain better insight into my role as a sister, allowing me to support her and be there for her. In addition, I often use the skills in my volunteer position as an EMT when approaching 911 calls for mental health crises. ~ Family Member of Someone with Lived Experience

• I believe that I listen in a different way. The training helped me to understand that people may be communicating more in non-verbal ways and we need to look at actions along with words. I've talked a lot about the course and what a great learning experience it was and the potential for real positive impact. ~ University Staff Member

• It provided me with the confidence to address the situation head on and effectively handle the situation by identifying signs of distress early on in the encounter. ~ University Staff Member

• It has made me more aware of people's mental health, provided me with better questions to ask, and encouraged me to listen more intently. ~ University Faculty Member

• I think more about the experiences people may be going through that I can't see or know nothing about. I give people more grace and do my best to stay up to date on available resources. ~ University Staff Member