mojatu .com
28 Health & Food
WHO (World Health Organisation) noted that prevention
begins with being aware of and understanding the early
warning signs and symptoms of mental illness. Parents
and teachers can help build life skills of children and
adolescents to help them cope with everyday challenges
at home and at school, but they especially parents, need
to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to identify
early signs of mental health concerns and be able support
their children and encourage professional support where
necessary.
I have a lived experience of Anxiety and early this year
my teenage daughter showed some signs of depression,
I was able to spot it early and support her because of
my awareness of mental health problems, most parents
within our African community are not so lucky and would
not be able to identify the symptoms until it is a crisis
moment.
Culturally competent mental and chronic health
conditions support services
People from the BAME are most times classed as ‘hard
to reach communities’ because of their low uptake of
mainstream health services. This is because most of these
services do not have staff that are culturally competent,
hence like the boy in the WHO mental health day poster,
BAME communities feel they will not be understood. Trust
is another important factor. They are more likely to trust a
service provider from similar ethnic background who will
understand their concerns in its full context.
My lived experiences of mental health and migrant
background has led me to decide to set up a wellness
service that will concentrate on equipping our black
African community especially parents, refugee and
asylum seekers, with Mental health First Aid skills to
increase awareness, protection and prevention, as well as
a non-clinical wellness and recovery support service while
they are waiting for diagnosis or medical therapy.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally
recognised training course which teaches people how to
spot the signs and symptoms of a mental health illness.
Every parent should be a Mental Health First Aider. it is a
practical skills and awareness course designed to give one,
a deeper understanding of mental health and the factors
that can affect people’s wellbeing, confidence to step in,
reassure and support a person in distress and knowledge
to help someone recover their health by guiding them to
appropriate support.
There is no Health without Mental Health
The WHO constitution states: “Health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease or infirmity.” Mental health is an
integral and essential component of health; indeed, there
is no health without mental health.
Evidence is growing that promoting and protecting
adolescent (and adults) health brings benefits not just
to adolescents’ health, both in the short- and the long-
term, but also to economies and society, with healthy
young adults able to make greater contributions to the
workforce, their families and communities and society as
a whole. Mental health is fundamental to our collective
and individual ability as humans to think, emote, interact
with each other, earn a living and enjoy life. On this basis,
the promotion, protection and restoration of mental
health can be regarded as a vital concern of individuals,
communities and societies throughout the world. (WHO
2018)
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) 2 Day-
certificate course (Adult)
Dates:
21st & 22nd
November
2018
5th & 6th
December
2018
Venue:
To be
confirmed
Cost of
Course:
£300
(subsidised
to £125 for
members
of BAME &
emerging
communities,
people on qualifying benefits and low
income)
*Refugees & Asylum seekers may go free
depending on funding*
Spaces are limited, book now to avoid
disappointment.