We are familiar with the concept of applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to someone who is facing a medical emergency situation like a heart attack. But how about giving first aid to persons who are developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis situation?

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

Mental Health First Aid is the pyschological equivalent of medical first aid. It is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. First aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis resolves.

The aims of Mental Health First Aid are to:

    • Preserve life where a person may be a danger to himself or others

    • Provide help to prevent the mental health problem from developing into a more
      serious state

    • Promote recovery of good mental health

    • Provide comfort to a person suffering a mental illness

Mental Health First Aid does not teach people to be therapists. Rather, it teaches people to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems, how to provide initial help, and how to go about guiding a person towards appropriate professional help.

Why Mental Health First Aid?

There are many reasons why people need training in Mental Health First Aid.

Firstly, mental health problems are common, especially depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Throughout the course of any person’s life, it is highly likely that they will either develop a mental health problem themselves or have close contact with someone who does.

Secondly, there is a stigma associated with mental health problems, and this may hinder people with such problems from seeking help. People are often ashamed to  discuss mental health problems with family, friends, and work colleagues. They may also be reluctant to seek professional help for mental health problems because of their

concerns about what others will think of them.

Thirdly, many people are not well informed about how to recognise mental health problems and what effective treatments are available. They may not seek help at all, or may seek the wrong sort of help.

Although there are professional people such as General Practitioners (GPs), counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists who can help people with mental health problems, professional help may not always be on hand when a mental health problem first arises.

How common are mental health problems?

A mental health community survey done in Singapore showed that one in six adults was found to have a mental health disorder at some time in their life. Some of the common mental disorders include:

    • Mood disorders - Depression, Bipolar

    • Anxiety disorders - Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Panic, Obsessive-Compulsive 
      Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

    • Psychotic illnesses - Schizophrenia, Delusional Disorder

    • Substance use disorders - alcohol & substance abuse/dependence, gambling

Given that mental health problems are so common, it is not surprising that they are a major reason for consulting GPs. It has been estimated that a GP who sees 40 patients a day can expect that 8 to 10 (20 to 25%) of these patients will require support or treatment for anxiety or depression – and that’s not counting those whose disorders go

unrecognised.

Disability caused by mental health disorders

The burden of mental illness is often underestimated. Mental health disorders can be more disabling for the sufferer than many chronic physical illnesses. For example, the disability due to moderate depression is similar to the disability from severe asthma or deafness. Severe post traumatic stress disorder disability is comparable to disability from paraplegia, and severe schizophrenia is comparable to quadriplegia.

Only in recent years has it been recognised that mental health is a major issue in Singapore. Although mental health problems are not major killers, they are major causes of long-term disability. In Singapore, mental health problems have been ranked as the third largest health problem after heart diseases and cancer. Of the different mental health problems, depression is the biggest single cause of disease burden.