At a time when mental health is declared a major national cause of 2025, Guadeloupean players in the sector intend to promote “first aid in mental health” training. Created in 2000 in Australia and developed in France since 2019, this program offers all citizens general mental health awareness and assistance training. Destigmatization is one of the primary objectives of this training.
We are generally familiar with the Workplace First Aid (SST) and First Aid (PG) training courses, but we are often unaware that you can become a mental health first aid worker. However, mental health is an essential component of health and represents much more than the absence of mental disorders or disabilities. According to the WHO, mental health is a “a state of well-being that enables people to realize their potential, to cope with the normal difficulties of life, to work successfully and productively, and to be able to make a contribution to the community”. Mental health was declared a major national cause in 2025 by Prime Minister Michel Barnier. In Guadeloupe, players in the sector are mobilizing to raise awareness of first aid training in mental health (PPSM).
Mental Health First Aid (MHFP) was created in Australia in 2000 by Betty Kitchener, an educator who suffered from severe mental illness, and Tony Jorm, a professor of medicine. It arrives in France in 2019 and is broadcast in 27 countries around the world. The information contained in the training has been scientifically proven or is based on internationally validated expert consensus (mental health users, caregivers and clinicians).
In 2022, PSSM France will have a Scientific and Educational Council. A reference body for the development and validation of the association's educational materials.
This program was originally created with the aim of broadening the principle of first aid training to include psychological disorders, to help the population provide initial support better suited to a person developing a disorder. psychological, showing signs of worsening of an existing psychological disorder or in a state of crisis.
Etienne Max Gabriel, senior health executive, accredited PSSM trainer
Because this general awareness and mental health assistance program is aimed at all citizens. It has an educational aim and above all aims to destigmatize and fight against the minimization of this societal problem. It is inspired by physical first aid training, but integrates a different emergency logic.
A mental health first aider will often have to intervene several times to listen, reassure and support the person concerned towards care.
The Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program allows you to:
- Train first aiders capable of better identifying mental health disorders,
- to adopt appropriate behavior,
- to inform about available resources,
- to encourage people to contact the appropriate professionals and, in the event of a crisis, to act to relay to the most appropriate service.
Mental health concerns the entire general public, since psychological disorders are the most widespread pathologies.
One in four human beings will suffer from either a pathological episode or a persistent disorder during their lifetime.
World Health Organization (WHO)
Gaining confidence in interacting with people suffering from a mental health problem, reviewing one's perceptions regarding mental health and strengthening assistance to people are the skills targeted by the training. To do this, she suggests acquiring basic knowledge regarding different mental health disorders, understanding possible crises or aggressive behavior as best as possible and listening without judgment, reassuring and giving information.
First aiders obtain general knowledge in the field of mental health, particularly about the four most common psychological disorders while learning a method for intervening:
- Depressive disorders,
- Anxiety disorders,
- Psychotic disorders,
- Substance use disorders.
Two training courses are currently offered, standard PSSM and young PSSM. There Youth training has been specially developed for adults living or working with adolescents (middle and high school) and young adults. It focuses in particular on adolescent development, anxiety disorders, depression (including suicidal crisis and non-suicidal self-harm), psychoses, eating disorders and addictions. During 2025, a special “teenagers” program will be offered to adolescents to help them identify classmates, friends or members of their family who may be suffering from psychological disorders.
The training lasts two days (14 hours) dedicated to all audiences aged 18 and over. Only PPSM France accredited trainers can provide this training. In Guadeloupe there are 73 accredited trainers and 374 training courses were organized on November 1, 2024.
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