Mental Health Now Blog > Become mental health aware – skills for home, work and life. | March 2019

Talking about mental health can feel daunting. Have you ever wanted to ask someone if they’re ok – but not quite known how? Or perhaps you’re concerned about a family member or friend, and wish you had the skills to find be able to support them.

Find out more and know the signs

Understanding more about common mental health problems is a great place to start and will help you to feel more confident about starting conversations or providing support. There are lots of resources online which will help you to understand the basics of mental health problems. Although everyone’s experience of a mental health illness is different, you’ll be able to find out a little bit more about common signs and symptoms.

Try visiting some of the following websites:

• https://www.rethink.org/diagnosis-treatment/conditions
• https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/mental-health-problems-introduction/difficult-feelings-behaviours
• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/ 

We also have a range of mental health factsheets on this website that we hope you will find useful.
 

Start a conversation

You don’t have to have all the answers to ask a friend or colleague how they are doing. A simple “how are you doing?” at the right time can give someone the opportunity to open up to you. 

There are some excellent resources online to help you prepare for conversations – whether with a colleague at work or a friend or family member. We particularly like the Australian website “RU OK?” which has a fantastic guide to how to ask someone how they are – and how to respond to their answers. Visit https://www.ruok.org.au/how-to-ask to take a look.

Tackling stigma

1 in 4 of us suffer from a mental health problems every year 1 and yet 90% of people suffering from a mental health issue still report that they have experienced stigma around it². Having conversations with people around you about mental health is a great way to begin to tackle the stigma and isolation that can grow when people feel they can’t openly talk. 

Mental health awareness training

Have you got what it takes to speak up for mental health? Could you be someone your friends and colleagues can turn to if they’re struggling? If so, take a look at the Mental Health First Aid England half-day awareness course. You’ll learn about common mental health problems, and gain skills to help you to challenge the stigma around mental health. You’ll learn how to hold good conversations and to support someone in distress. You’ll also learn some really useful skills for taking care of your own mental health and wellbeing. 

Becoming mental health aware won’t make you a trained therapist – but it will give you skills to provide the support to a friend or colleague that could make all the difference.


Find out more: our half day courses