MHFA Training Resources
Some say it is like a black dog, taking over your life. Be mindful that there are lot of negatives around depression, so it can come to the stage that the person feels that there is no other way out.
Being present for someone is a valuable skill, even if that is sitting in silence. You can help people by empowering them to take steps in the right direction. Diaries, Memory Boxes, Writing down what makes them happy (and working towards doing 1 thing on that list) are just some of the steps that they can take.
Be mindful of words ending with the letters “ic” (Diabetic, Schizophrenic, Alcoholic………). Generally when people hear these words, they forget there is a person behind them. We are human at the end of the day so everyone deserves to be treated as such. On recovery, it is so important to have something to aim your recovery towards.
If somebody is affected by anxiety, this can bring on OCD. The anxiety caused by worrying or thinking you missed something (obsessions) brings on actions to relieve that anxiety (Compulsions).
When people develop psychosis, they may lose touch with reality at that time. It was described to me once as dreaming but being awake. If you think back on dreams, locations / people / things seem a little different. Safety for the person is something to keep in mind, they may think they are in a safe place when they are somewhere potentially unsafe, like a swimming pool or roof.
When people are considering ending their own life, they are not doing that to intentionally hurt someone they love. More often than not, they feel they are a burden to those they care about most. By removing that burden, they often feel people will be better off without them.
There is a pattern that most people fall into when misusing substances. A big percentage of people will go on this journey as a way of avoiding a problem.
“A problem avoided is a problem concentrated”.
Can you spot the areas where the person may be in Denial? Anger? Fear? Bargaining? and eventually Acceptance?
A big part of supporting someone is being able to listen. That doesn’t just mean listen with your ears. If your body language suggests that you would rather be somewhere else, the person is much less liekly to open up to you.