Mental health first aid is very important as you know that everything is beautiful as long as you have sound mental health. It is very crucial for leading a happier and more satisfied life and in the absence of it, life becomes pathetic. As per the report of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the year 2019, 970 million people around the world or 1 in every 8 persons in the world have a mental illness.
Do you want to know if someone has been the victim of mental illness what he suffers or goes through what kind of pain? Don’t know! Some psychiatrists describe that the sufferings in some mental illnesses trigger suicidal thoughts and in extreme cases, it may drive someone to take his own life. In addition to it, such sufferings also result in behavioral change, mood swings, frustration, anger and short temperament. Read our blog on Healthy Life.
Feels horrific? Yes, it is. It shows how vital the role of mental health first aid is!
So, what is being done by the government and society to address these underrated medical conditions? Some nations and countries have started programs under the banner “Mental Health First Aid” to address the miseries at the initial stage as it gives awareness about mental illness to family members/relatives and patients. It further equips society to treat the affected ones in a positive way before the initiation of complete medical treatment. Hence it is also producing encouraging results.
But the point of concern is here that, for the speedy and efficient recovery of the patient, the inputs from the close relatives are required. As we know a major portion of our society feel disgusted due to the stigma associated with mental disorders as far as any of our loved one show abnormal behavior. The relatives try to evade themselves from the responsibility and leave the troubled loved ones in distress.
Rather it should be that, instead of leaving, one should stay with the patient and take responsibility during his/her treatment. It means under the program of mental health first aid the caregivers are the heroes that can change the scenario. Read our blog on the best workout plan titled The Best Workout Plan: 3 Days a Week.
Strategies for Mental Health First Aid Caregivers
That’s why, In addition to strategies devised by the “Mental Health First Aid” programs, there are also some other preliminary guidelines linked to caregivers that make the journey of treatment easy and smoother till the recovery of the patient. It should be kept in mind that, this is not a complete/exhaustive list as many strategies may be added after consultation with experts.
1. Performance of Empathy:
The patient becomes insecure and hesitates to trust anyone. That results in his abnormal behavior and in the same way it becomes very difficult for the family to tolerate it. However, the responsibility lies on the shoulders of the relatives or mental health first aid caregivers to show some empathy as his behavior’s is not driven by his self-intent.
2. Giving Considerable time
Hallucinations haunt the patient repeatedly. Suicidal thoughts are common. So along with medical treatment, it becomes mandatory for the caregivers to spare a small portion of time from their busy schedule for patients. So that the patient may be kept safe from indulging and over-thinking any harmful ideas.
3. Realizing their importance
Worthlessness is a ghost that engulfs the soul of the patient and it can cause deterioration in his already disturbed mental health. So, realizing that their very own existence is of utmost importance for relatives and for the whole society. This realization can fill the positive thoughts in the mind of a patient. So when you succeed in realizing their value and importance, they may get on the track of betterment.
4. Involving them in Community works
It may sound strange but the reality is that as far as they consider themselves important to society they should be involved in community work. But for this purpose, strong supervision is mandatory from the mental health first aid caregivers. As there is a famous saying “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”. So such kind of engagements may prove very helpful for the overall process of betterment of the patient.
Conclusion
Having good mental health is a blessing but a large number of human beings are lacking good mental health nowadays. In the same way, Mental Health First Aid may help in the diagnosis of the initial status of the disease and after initiation of medical/clinical treatment above mentioned approaches by the caregivers may work wonders. The list of these approaches may be widened after the consultation of a good psychiatrist.
If you want to read more about the importance of mental health in overall fitness, Please Read Here.