East Belfast Community Development Agency

East Belfast Community Development Agency’s Health Development and Connections Programme have just completed delivering a 12-hour training course designed to give seven members of Dundonald Family and Community Initiative important skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.

MHFA participants learn a 5-step action plan for recognizing and assisting people who are experiencing mental health problems or crises, while being introduced to the risk factors and warning signs of specific illnesses such as anxiety, depression, psychosis and addiction. Like CPR training, MHFA trains members of the public who might be first responders to provide support services until professional mental health care is available. 

Mental health problems are very common affecting about a quarter of the population with most common problems being anxiety and depression affecting around 1 in 10 people and can be severe impacting on a person’s ability to get on with life.  And between 1 and 2 people in every 100 experience a severe mental illness.  Census surveys or OPCS estimate that of the quarter of people affected around 230 will visit a GP, 102 of these will be diagnosed as having a problem, 24 will be referred to a specialist psychiatric service and 6 will become inpatients in psychiatric hospitals.

Participants on the course which was tailored to meet their needs have recognised that they have improved their knowledge of mental disorders, are more confident about reducing stigma and increasing the amount of help provided to others.

For further information contact: Alan Houston tel. 90451512 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it