Campaign Launched to Train Americans in Mental Health First Aid

The National Council for Behavioral Health recently announced a new campaign called “Be One in a Million,” which has a goal of training one million people in Mental Health First Aid. 

According to Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council, “This training is relevant to all of us. When you complete the Mental Health First Aid training, you will know how to intervene with someone who is actively suicidal, or help someone who is having a panic attack. You will be able to support a veteran experiencing PTSD symptoms, or a college student with a serious eating disorder. You will be able to recognize a coworker who may be struggling with addiction, or a friend who is feeling depressed” (Wilkerson, 2016). 

Over 500,000 people, including First Lady Michelle Obama, have taken the course and many organizations are vowing to help people get training. New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio “pledged to train 250,000 New Yorkers” and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention held over one hundred training sessions last year. 

According to addiction news website The Fix, “every year, one in four Americans will suffer from a mental illness or addiction” (Wilkerson, 2016). 

To learn more about the Be One in a Million campaign and Mental Health First Aid training, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org. 

Wilkerson, M. (2016). New campaign aims to train one million Americans in mental health first aid. Retrieved from https://www.thefix.com/new-campaign-aims-train-1-million-americans-mental-health-first-aid