Mental Health First Aid addresses stigma

The training program is eight hours over two-day period

Lorain County Board of Mental Health is taking an innovative community-based approach to increasing education about mental health and how to help those in need.

The Board is offering free training to Lorain County residents to help them to break the stigma and recognize the often hidden signs of mental illness.

The Mental Health First Aid training program consisting of eight hours over two days is facilitated by trainers assisting participants through passing along their knowledge and discourses about mental health.

In the wake of a wave of celebrity deaths by suicide, Clare Rosser, director of communications and community relations for the Mental Health Board, says vulnerable people may be at higher risk.

Suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade have brought this issue back into public consciousness.

A recent report issued from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as cited by The Washington Post, indicate suicide rates have risen sharply in all states, except Nevada, between 1999 and 2016. According to the report, In 2016, nearly 45,000 people died by suicide, making it the 10th leading cause of death and more than double the amount of homicides.

The growing phenomenon of suicide and the way it is addressed locally has the Board facilitating ways to increase awareness and removing the mystery of what suicide prevention skills look like, officials said.

“People have this cinematic idea of what mental health concerns are,” Rosser said. “Our message is ‘don’t be afraid.’

“You can never go wrong showing concern for another person.”

The Mental Health Board will offer its next training session from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., July 17-18, at the Amy Levin Learning and Conference Center, 1165 North Ridge Road East in Sheffield Township.

“In Lorain County, we are fortunate because we have a few mental health and suicide prevention trainings that we offer for free to the

community that are really well researched national or international curriculums,” Rosser said.

Mental Health First Aid gives a broad overview with trainers who live and work in Lorain County and are integrated into the community.

Over two days, small groups from a broad crosssection of the community, including professionals in the health field, faith-based organizations and other community groups with an interest in increasing their exposure to mental health discourses, will convene.

“It’s pretty powerful to see people talking about painful, tough topics and using that knowledge to help others,” Rosser said.

The first day of the training goes through depression and anxiety; the second day covers a lot about psychosis and substance abuse.

“It’s all intertwined and built upon itself,” said Mental Health First Aid Trainer Holly Cundiff. “I think it really stresses how common it is and how to look for symptoms and recognize someone in crisis.”

Cundiff, a forensic and special projects coordinator with the Board, has seen the transition in how the community approaches mental health.

“Even on the forensic side of things, I think there is a huge change,” she said. “I think the judges are far more aware and willing to look at different alternatives.

“So, there is a huge shift that is happening.”

Along with Cundiff, trainers Brenda Rodriguez and Brooke Sherman will lead a group of participants during the sessions.

The signs

The Mental Health Board notes in a recent publication the signs of suicide and mental illness are not always apparent, and Mental Health First Aid provides some of the tools to start the conversation.

Rodriguez, a program administrator for Catholic Charities of Lorain County, has offered training for about five years and after going through the program herself, she was overwhelmed by how much information could be provided in a simple, approachable way to everyday people.

“It’s all about the knowledge,” Rodriguez said. “They are used to Facebook, they are used to Instagram and social media which post the dark side of mental illness with no hope at all.

“At least in my experience with the people in the training is, wow, this is different from the common people and the myth and everything that is there that surrounds mental illness.”

Sherman, coordinator of emergency stabilization services for The Nord Center, said just getting the issue out in the open was one of the many benefits.

“It’s okay to talk about it, too,” she said. “To try and have people find ways to be more comfortable and talking about it.

“And just because you talk about something like suicide, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to curse them that they’re going to actually attempt. But it’s okay to talk about those things to lead them to the hope that recovery is possible and you can get help.”

Interested Lorain County residents can register online here. Participants must attend both days of the training in order to receive certification.