It can be hard to spot the signs of mental ill-health in friends, colleagues and pupils and a tricky subject to bring up with them.
Lisa Fathers
Executive Leader at Bright Futures Educational Trust
Lisa is also Chair of the Well School Board and a Mental Health First Aid National Trainer
You probably know what to do if someone stops breathing or faints, or there is generally a nominated ‘first aider’ around.
In the same way could you spot anxiety, stress or other signs of poor mental health in a pupil or colleague or even a family member at home? Mental Health First Aid means that you could answer yes to all those questions.
We know that during this pandemic which hasn’t gone away yet there are increased numbers of young people seeking mental health support. At Bright Futures we run Mental Health First Aid training. Clearly supporting someone with anxiety or low mood is difficult to navigate and not always easy to spot and everyone is unique so there are no blanket rules, but it is about noticing and being curious. With World Mental Health Day just passed it’s more important than ever to reach out and look after one another.
It is about relationships & knowing people
If you have a good relationship with those you see daily then chances are they will confide in you, so you will know about significant life events that can send people into the depths of despair, you will know if there has been a bereavement or financial issues or a divorce etc. This will allow you to take extra care and keep a closer eye on people.
Look for changes in people
If you know that someone is usually chatty, full of energy and then they are suddenly withdrawn that ought to prompt some thinking and it needs checking on. Equally we know if someone has been feeling down for a while and usually, they are quiet that if they start suddenly looking and behaving in a loud and happy way then it is worth double checking if this is genuine or not. Alarm bells should be ringing if you see any changes. Someone being absent from work/school should also be as worried but just because someone is in the building it doesn’t mean they are ok (presenteeism).
Use your eyes- always be curious
With masks, remote working and social distancing it has been a bit harder to look for physical changes, but it is always useful to be observant and look at weight changes up or down, any other changes in appearance, perhaps it could be someone suddenly looking a lot more unkempt. You might see someone uncharacteristically losing their temper. It’s worth keeping an open mind, sometimes these things could be to do with mental health but equally it might be related to something like perimenopause. Not enough people know about this either so if you are a line manager it really is important to educate yourself. At Bright Futures we run menopause awareness training, the next one is scheduled to take place in March after a successful previous training session.
You don’t need to anything more than take some time
Taking the time to say hello and check in with someone makes all the difference ‘how is it going’, ‘I’ve been a little worried that you are not ok- you can chat to me’. Empathy is key as is really listening in a non-judgemental way.
Signposting
As a Mental Health First Aider you don’t have to fix everything, but you should be able to signpost for further help, it might be you suggest counselling, or exercise, or a visit to the GP or talking to the ‘expert’ in your place of work. If in doubt you should talk to HR colleagues or if it is a school your Mental Health Lead would be a good point of contact too. It is important the person you are chatting to knows you are only ‘suggesting’ things and that they still feel completely in control.
Autumn
This time of year is particularly hard. The days are shorter, sunshine is sporadic, Christmas is approaching which can be anxiety inducing and very triggering for some. We also need to be conscious that because of Covid there are many more people missing lived ones than ever before.
We are running our next Mental Health First Aid CPD during November and December 2021, if you are interested, please visit our website the below links:
If you are a school, you might want to look at the Well Schools Movement. Which is a fantastic community of schools coming together to put wellbeing at the heart of school life.
@AFLpartners @BrightFutures_ET
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