Review of Mental Health First Aid Programs

Abstract

Mental health first aid programs are interventions to empower the community to help people with mental health problems/crises. A review of these programs was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Published and unpublished works from 2009 to 2019 were considered. The review included 252 studies. Several Mental Health First Aid programs were identified, with varying characteristics, participants, and contexts of implementation. These group interventions were carried out among lay people to health professionals, and in adolescents to the elderly. Additionally, they were conducted in-person and/or virtually, using psychoeducational methods and informational materials. The programs ranged from 30 minutes to 24 hours. These interventions can address nursing foci, and the characteristics of the facilitators are similar to those of mental health nurses. Therefore, this review highlighted the opportunity for nurses to explore Mental Health First Aid programs.

A qualitative study exploring adolescents' perspective about Mental Health First Aid Training Programmes promoted by nurses in upper secondary schools

“…They also mentioned that mental health problems should be taught. The problems described were cognitive, emotional, behavioural and relational, as in Costa et al (2020) review. These authors refer to Mental Health Training Programmes addressing mainly pathologies (e.g.…”

“…These authors mapped these interventions, identifying their characteristics, participants and implementation contexts. One of the findings indicated that Mental Health First Aid Training Programmes seem suitable for adolescents in upper secondary schools (Costa et al 2020).…”

“…Mental Health First Aid Training Programmes address mainly pathologies (Costa et al 2020). These interventions entitle their participants to informal diagnostic practices, where all problems can be seen as disorders (Costa et al 2020;DeFehr 2016). Thus, they can promote the medicalization and psychiatrization movement of human suffering (DeFehr 2016).…”

“…Mental Health First Aid Training Programmes address mainly pathologies (Costa et al . 2020). These interventions entitle their participants to informal diagnostic practices, where all problems can be seen as disorders (Costa et al .…”

“…Therefore, a comprehensive literature review on these intervention programmes was performed (Costa et al . 2020). These authors mapped these interventions, identifying their characteristics, participants and implementation contexts.…”