Guidelines for the public have been developed by Mental Health First Aid Australia and the Mental Health Literacy Research Team, in the following areas:
- Providing Mental Health First Aid in English speaking countries
- Providing Mental Health First Aid to an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Person
- Providing Mental Health First Aid in some Asian Countries
- Guidelines for organisations: Helping employees successfully return to work following a mental health problem
- Guidelines for Carers of someone with a Mental Illness
Mental Health First Aid Guidelines for English speaking countries
Guidelines for the public have been developed for English speaking countries with developed health systems about first aid applicable to a range of developing mental disorders and mental health crisis situations. These guidelines were produced using the Delphi method, which is a systematic way of assessing the consensus of a panel of experts. The guidelines consist of first aid actions that have been rated as important or essential by expert panels of professionals, consumers and carers.
The articles linked next to the guidelines give more information about this lengthy and thorough process.
All of the guidelines can be downloaded as a single PDF here, or download them individually as listed below:
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Depression |  |
Eating Disorders |
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Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours |  |
Non-suicidal Self-injury (NSSI) |
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Panic |  |
Psychosis
MHFA Guidelines for Psychosis in Spanish (Guía de primeros auxilios) translated by Gertrudis Sada: Guidelines |
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Traumatic Events (Adult) |  |
Traumatic Events (Child) |
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Problem Drug Use |  |
Problem Drinking Use |
Mental Health First Aid Guidelines for Other Cultures
The above guidelines have been developed for use in developed English-speaking countries. They may not be applicable in other cultures or with minority cultures within developed English-speaking countries. Projects are underway to develop guidelines that can be applied in other cultural groups. The following guidelines are currently available:
Guidelines for providing Mental Health First Aid to an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Person
All of the guidelines can be downloaded as a single PDF here, or download them individually as listed below. You can also order these for free from the ‘Organisation’ section of the beyondblue website (www.beyondblue.org.au/resources).
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Cultural Consideration |  |
Depression |
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Psychosis |  |
Suicide |
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Trauma and Loss Guidelines & Article |
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Problem Drinking Guidelines & Article |
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Problem Drug Use Guidelines & Article |
Guidelines for providing Mental Health First Aid in Asian Countries
Once again, these guidelines were developed using the same method as the others, but with only one panel. The panel involved in developing these guidelines were mental health clinicians from a large number of Asian countries. They may not be suitable for use in all settings and contexts. They were not designed to be useful for helping people born in Asia who are now living elsewhere (for example, those who have migrated to western countries).
- MHFA Guidelines for Psychosis in Asian countries: Guidelines & Article.
These guidelines were developed using the same method as the international guidelines described above. However, they were developed using only one panel of experts from each country (clinicians). They may not be suitable for use in all settings within the country they were developed for. Also, they were not designed to be useful for helping people born in these countries who are now living elsewhere (for example, those who have migrated to western countries).
- First Aid Guidelines for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours in India: Guidelines & Article
- First Aid Guidelines for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours in Japan: Guidelines & Article
- First Aid Guidelines for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours in the Philippines: Guidelines & Article
Guidelines for organisations: Helping employees successfully return to work following depression, anxiety or a related mental health problem
These guidel
ines consist of actions organisations can take to facilitate return to work for employees following an episode of depression, anxiety or a related disorder. They were produced using the Delphi method, which is a systematic way of assessing the consensus of a panel of experts. The actions have been rated as important or essential by expert panels of consumers, employers and health professionals. It is hoped that the guidelines will be used to improve the practices of organisations as they support those returning to work after mental health problems.
Guidelines
Guidelines for Carers of someone with a Mental Illness
If you are a family member, partner or friend who is 18 years or over and a primary source of support for a person with mental illness, this guide was designed for you. It involves information and suggestions about how you can help a person with mental illness who is 18 years or over (there are additional considerations when caring for children and adolescents) and ways to cope with the personal impact of the illness and to take care of yourself. The information in this guide is most suitable for people who are caring for someone who has a mental illness which is severe, chronic, treatment resistant or very recurrent. The information and suggestions in this guide resulted from a study that combined the latest research with the opinions and consensus of international panels of caregivers, people with bipolar disorder, clinicians and researchers, all with experience and expertise in dealing with bipolar disorder. The guidelines were analysed and the most general advice was used to create these general guidelines. Although this guide is copyright, you can freely reproduce it for non-profit.
Guidelines