World Mental Health Day – Psychological First Aid -By Adenirna Ademola

Adenirna Ademola

Every year, the 10th of October is observed as the World Mental Health Day; a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy. The day is set aside with the objective of mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. Health has been defined on the concepts of physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing and social wellbeing. From the perspective of positive psychology, mental wellbeing is the ability of an individual to enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Good mental health is not the absence of mental illness but rather it is “a state of wellbeing whereby individuals recognize and realize their abilities, are able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully and make a contribution to their societies. The absence of good mental health or deterioration of one’s mental health therefore leads to mental health problems or challenges. Unfortunately, mental wellbeing is often misunderstood and forgotten. Research has shown that the leading causes of disabilities and societal problems across the world are mental health related. Problems in families, schools, workplace and the society are largely psychological and mental in nature. A person suffering from mental health issues may experience stress, anxiety, relationship problems, substance abuse and addiction, learning disability, mood disorders and impaired functioning all of which are prevalent in our society.

The theme of this year celebration “Psychological First Aid” is concerned with providing psychological and social support for people who find themselves in situations that causes distress and harm to themselves and others. It is an evidence and informed approach to assisting people with mental health challenges reduce initial distress and foster short and long-term adaptive functioning. Mental Health impacts the society in a number of ways; low motivation, attitudinal problems, work – life imbalances, drug and substance abuse and addiction, depression to mention a few. Unfortunately in a country like ours, there are still attitudes that view symptoms of mental health challenges as threatening and uncomfortable and this often brings discrimination towards individuals suffering from them. The society forgets that there is thin line between being mentally healthy and being mentally challenged. Research has shown that mental health problems affect about 2 in 10 children and young adults.

These challenges include attitude and conduct disorder, anxiety and depression which are often a product of happenings in their lives. In old adults, multiple social, psychological and biological factors determine the level of mental health of an individual. It could be anybody. The general idea behind psychological first aid is that when people experience mental health crisis, they can benefit from social support.

The treatment and care of mental health related issues shouldn’t be left to government and health care practitioners alone. Individuals with mental health challenges should first and foremost take responsibility by coming out to seek help. Prompt recognition of mental health issue and treatment is essential for a functional individual and society. It is also important to prepare mental health providers to meet the needs of the society through trainings and developmental programmes and designing sustainable policies and interventions that foster mental health among the populace. Mental health can further be improved by promoting active and healthy living, and conditions that support mental wellbeing. Early diagnosis in other to promote early and optimal management of conditions, detecting and managing challenging behavioral and psychological symptoms are of essence.

While psychological first aid is important, it is not sufficient. A broader care model of mental health with preventive and supportive services is essential for the mental wellbeing of individuals and the society at large.

Adeniran Ademola is a Psychologist. He tweet with @adex405 and can be contacted via adex405@yahoo.com