Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an international program proven to be effective. Peer-reviewed studies published in Australia, where the program originated, show that individuals trained in the program:

- Grow their knowledge of signs, symptoms and risk factors of mental illnesses and addictions
- Can identify multiple types of professional and self-help resources for individuals with a mental illness or addiction
- Increase their confidence in and likelihood to help an individual in distress
- Show increased mental wellness themselves

Studies also show that the program reduces social distance created by negative attitudes and perceptions of individuals with mental illnesses.

Mental Health First Aid was developed Australia in 2001 by Betty Kitchener and Professor Tony Jorm. It was implemented in the United States in 2008. Since then, MHFA has trained over 9,000 instructors who have trained more than 350,000 people. New modules have been developed specifically focused on law enforcement, military members, veterans and their families and higher education. Mental Health First Aid has become America’s leading public health education response to mental illness. MHFA is increasing the public’s understanding of mental illness and willingness to assist those in distress.

Mental health problems are common in adolescence, the peak age of onset. Adolescents are generally reluctant to seek the help of mental health professionals, and often prefer to seek help from friends.
With this in mind, Mental Health First Aid Australia has developed teenMHFA. This course runs in three sessions of 75 minutes each. The course teaches students to recognise the signs of a developing mental health problem or crisis and how to respond, with a focus on getting a responsible and trusted adult involved as quickly as possible. Each participant receives a manual and a certificate. Films support the learning, including 3 five minute ‘talking heads’ videos with young people talking about their own history of mental health problems, and a fifteen minute scripted drama depicting a young man assisting his suicidal best friend.
The curriculum was developed based on guidelines created with the consensus of a large pool of adolescent mental health experts and young people over the age of 18 who had experienced mental health problems in adolescence.
Evaluation of the project so far is very positive. An uncontrolled trial was completed in 2013 and a randomised controlled trial is underway in metropolitan Melbourne.

While the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course has been successful in both formal evaluations and dissemination, there is still substantial demand that is not being met. Two key barriers are time and location, as some people are unable to commit to a 12-hour face-to-face course. For workplaces, it is not always easy to roster staff to attend 2 days of training. Shift workers, tertiary students and people living in rural and remote areas are other key groups who may find it challenging to attend the 2-day course. eLearning is a potential alternative for such groups. Since mid 2013, MHFA Australia has been delivering a tailored MHFA course to certain frontline community workers, either via eLearning or face-to-face. This presentation will present the results of an evaluation with 434 nursing and medical students and 121 financial counsellors, who completed pre- and post-course surveys measuring mental health first aid intentions, mental health literacy, confidence in providing help, stigmatising attitudes and satisfaction with the course. It will also describe a randomised controlled trial, currently underway comparing eLearning and blended MHFA delivered to Victorian Public Servants with online physical first aid training as the control.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses train members of the public in how to assist a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. From small beginnings 15 years ago in Canberra, the MHFA Program has spread across Australia but internationally. Over 2% of the adult Australian population has attended a MHFA course and it has been disseminated to 23 countries. Sometime this year, it is estimated that the 1 millionth person will attend a MHFA course.

The MHFA courses have a strong evidence-base:
1. In recognition, the US Govt Service SAMHSA has included the MHFA Program in its prestigious Register of Evidence-based Programs and Practices.

2. To determine what actions are likely to be positive and supportive, Delphi expert consensus studies have been carried out across English speaking developed countries to develop a range of mental health first aid guidelines to inform the course curriculum.

3. A recent meta-analysis of 15 MHFA studies concluded that: “The results demonstrate that MHFA increases participants' knowledge regarding mental health, decreases their negative attitudes, and increases supportive behaviours toward individuals with mental health problems.”