Will You Be There For Others?

In recent years our population has witnessed many hardships people who live with mental illness face on a day to day basis. These hardships have lasted longer than the 15 minutes we see on television and have occurred for hundreds of years. As humans, our instinct is to surround ourselves with like people and fear those who are not like us. Many organizations work day in and day out to erase the stigma of groups who view the world differently and work to tighten the bond of our communities so we may accept those who might be a little different from what society considers “normal”.In recent years our population has witnessed many hardships people who live with mental illness face on a day to day basis. These hardships have lasted longer than the 15 minutes we see on television and have occurred for hundreds of years. As humans, our instinct is to surround ourselves with like people and fear those who are not like us. Many organizations work day in and day out to erase the stigma of groups who view the world differently and work to tighten the bond of our communities so we may accept those who might be a little different from what society considers “normal”.

One group which works to erase stigma is, The National Council on Behavioral Health which worked to bring Mental Health First Aid to the United States. This training program was developed in 2001 in Australia and has since grown to The United States with partnerships from various state health departments. The vision of this program is to “empower communities to provide support to one another in times of mental health problems and mental health crises.”

East Alabama Mental Health is proud to offer this 8-hour training program in either youth or adult concentration, during which community members become familiar with mental health challenges, disorders, as well as proper steps to take during a mental health crisis. We encourage anyone who is interested to attend this training so you can recognize the signs and symptoms of a mental health crisis, much like we are taught to recognize the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, stroke, or asthma attack. We will be offering a class on November 8th, 2017 and space is limited. If you are interested in attending the class or would like more information regarding Mental Health First Aid please contact Chelsea Neighbors at (334) 742-2112.

Now is the time for communities to pull together and aid one another through life’s challenges. You never know if you will be the one who needs help. Will you be there for others?