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Mental Health First Aid Logo

Specialized training to become available for pharmacists industry-wide through Walgreens commitment to workplace wellness and the health and well-being of communities DEERFIELD, Ill., May 1, 2019 – As the most … Read more

A drink or two at the end of the day does no harm, right? This might be true for some, but everyone has their own personal limit and reacts differently … Read more

“Could I have done more? Was I too harsh? Too easy? An enabler? Should I have kicked him out to scare him straight? Or driven him to an A.A. meeting … Read more

Aetna Behavioral Health is taking Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) everywhere the company has a reach – including behavioral health providers within its network, its internal employees and staff and … Read more

“In the United States, over 80 percent of college students have at least one alcoholic drink over a two-week time period. Of these college students, 40 percent are binge drinking … Read more

If you ask Shelley Leaphart-Williams what drives her seven-year run as a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, she’ll answer with one simple word: hope. In the United States, someone dies … Read more

“My eldest brother had not really been with us for many years. We had been losing him a little bit at a time to a disease we had long held … Read more

You’ve probably had a glass of wine after a long and stressful day. Many of us have. But for 15.1 million adults in the United States, this one glass of … Read more

A lot of people drink alcohol to help take the edge off after a long day. In fact, roughly 86.4 percent of people 18 years or older have drunk alcohol … Read more

“Of the almost 20 million individuals with a substance use disorder in 2017, more than 2 million qualified as having an opioid addiction,” according to research published in the Journal … Read more

Science has confirmed that addiction is a chronic brain disease that can happen to anyone. Despite this, there is still popular belief that addiction is the result of weak character … Read more

“The crisis is that we don’t understand the crisis, and because of that, countless lives have been lost,” said Rocco Perla, co-founder of The Health Initiative. Every day, opioid overdoses … Read more

“It was really sad. She was just gone, and we didn’t know what to do.” Kelly Whaley lived in Monroe County, Ind., and was well-known for her kind demeanor and … Read more

Our oldest child, Jamie, died of a fentanyl overdose two years ago at the age of 27. We miss him every day and often reminisce and recall many fond memories … Read more

Every day, 140 individuals in the United States die of a drug overdose, 91 of them specifically due to opioids. Most of us know someone who has faced an addiction, … Read more

“I don’t want my colleagues to think that I don’t like or care about my job. It’s literally perfect. I don’t like how little I’ve been able to accomplish lately. … Read more

“Routine stress, including job strain and long working hours, may contribute to serious health problems, including elevated risk for heart disease and stroke and experiencing depression for the first time,” … Read more

“One of my coworker’s students committed suicide last summer. When my coworker found out, she didn’t say anything. However, I was able to recognize that something was wrong and I … Read more

“Employees who feel burnout at work often blame their workplace: Three in four employees say their jobs are very stressful and are considering or actively looking for a new job,” … Read more

Mental health and substance use challenges can take many forms. There’s depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction and the list goes on. Some of these challenges are more visible and you might … Read more

There are 1.5 million people trained to be the difference in their communities with Mental Health First Aid. This means that 1.5 million people know how to understand, recognize and … Read more

You’ve probably been anxious at one time or another. Most of us have. But more people experience intense anxiety than you might have thought. About 18 percent of American adults … Read more

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you’re not sure if someone is purposefully hurting themselves with suicidal intentions, please read our guide on how to help someone who is suicidal for more information … Read more

“It didn’t take much convincing for Clark Bishop, PharmD, to decide to become a trainer in Mental Health First Aid,” said a recent article highlighting the importance of pharmacists and … Read more

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call 9-1-1 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). On average, there are 129 suicides every day, and for … Read more

Six million American adults have panic disorder, meaning they experience repeated episodes of intense fear called panic attacks. Even people without panic disorder can have panic attacks. Overall, more than … Read more

When Cindy Whitney saw that many of the 400 to 500 home-bound seniors in Maine whom she serves had mental health needs that were not being addressed, she went on … Read more

Men and women in the military are trained to protect themselves, their comrades and our country. In combat zones, service members live in a constant state of hyper-arousal, also known … Read more

“So many men and women who served our country did so much more than me and were in so much more danger than I was on my four-month tour. I … Read more

When I was a child, I lost my grandfather, a WWII veteran, to suicide and my dad, a Vietnam veteran, to a substance use disorder. But our family was silent … Read more

Why do so many veterans die by suicide? Thomas Ricks is a contributing editor of Foreign Policy magazine, he reported on U.S. military activities in war-torn countries around the world, … Read more

It is estimated that there are 19.6 million veterans living in the U. S. While military service can increase resilience in those who serve and build strength in their families, … Read more

Jill Ramsey, a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, traveled more than 700 miles to teach a course in St. Paul, a remote native town in the Pribilof Islands off the … Read more

Growing up, everyone I knew wanted to be a police officer, doctor or firefighter. Me? I wanted to be a psychologist. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and … Read more

 Have you ever asked a firefighter, “What is the worst call you has ever been on?” Don’t! Your well-meaning question is like asking them to flip through the mental files … Read more

Some days John McCormack feels like he can take on the world. But then he hears a baby cry or a siren wail, “and my heart starts pounding and I … Read more

We don’t provide our services in a vacuum. We are people who provide services to other people. And like many first responders across the country, the Clifton Fire Department in … Read more

By any measure, 2018 has been a difficult year for firefighters and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel. Firefighters in California battled the worst fire season on record, and EMS personnel … Read more

National Council Teams with Kate Spade New York for Mental Health First Aid Training WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 25, 2018) – The National Council for Mental Wellbeing has teamed with Kate … Read more

From living on your own to partying without a curfew, college offers a panoply of first-time experiences. There’s one “first,” however, that no college student wishes for — a first-time … Read more

Damien Johnson owns and operates Charlotte, N.C.’s No Grease Barber School and knows firsthand how mental illness impacts his clients. Johnson says he hears stories day in and day out of men … Read more

A death by suicide is often met with a would’ve, could’ve or should’ve. If he would’ve told me, maybe I could’ve done something. Even though he never said a word, … Read more

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is proud to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to train local club staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid. The eight-hour … Read more

In June, designer Kate Spade’s and chef Anthony Bourdain’s suicides reminded us that suicide does not discriminate. It can impact anyone, and it is often unexpected. Numerous factors can put … Read more

Your boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with you. Your beloved pet dies. Your hoped-for promotion at work falls through. We all feel sad or “blue” when bad things happen, but … Read more

Hi, my name is Ramon Cruz and I am a person in recovery from mental health and substance use disorders. For many years, I carried a good deal of anger … Read more

September is National Recovery Month and Mental Health First Aid can be the first step on the road to recovery. You can literally #BeTheDifference in someone’s life by knowing how … Read more

Mental Health First Aid teaches people how to understand, recognize and respond to people who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis and connect people to care, … Read more