The Mental Health First Aid(MHFA)program is a training program for non‒health professionals that deals with persons with a mental health crisis(Kitchener & Jorm, 2006). The MHFA‒Japan team was established in 2007, and a founding member completed a MHFA training program in Melbourne, University of Australia. We consulted with Jorm and Kitchener, and started a Japanese study of the program. Providing the MHFA program for gatekeepers in Japan could help them assess risk factors and refer patients for professional care, and contribute to suicide prevention. Our team cooperated with the gatekeeper training program of the cabinet office of the Japanese government. In addition, this program is applied in instructional activities in the area of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The Activities of Mental Health First Aid‒Japan Team
1 Department of Disaster Psychiatry and Community Psychiatry, Iwate Medical University
2 Department of Neurosychiatry, Iwate Medical University
3 Department of Adult Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
4 Psycho—oncology Division, National Cancer Center East
5 Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine
6 Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University
7 Innovation Center for Medical Redox Navigation, Kyushu University
8 Department of Psychiatry, Yokohama City University School of Medicine
9 Department of Psychiatry, Kanagawa Psychiatric Center Serigaya Hospital
10 Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine
11 Sagamihara Mental Health & Welfare Center
12 Iwate Mental Health & Welfare Center
2 Department of Neurosychiatry, Iwate Medical University
3 Department of Adult Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
4 Psycho—oncology Division, National Cancer Center East
5 Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine
6 Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University
7 Innovation Center for Medical Redox Navigation, Kyushu University
8 Department of Psychiatry, Yokohama City University School of Medicine
9 Department of Psychiatry, Kanagawa Psychiatric Center Serigaya Hospital
10 Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine
11 Sagamihara Mental Health & Welfare Center
12 Iwate Mental Health & Welfare Center
Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica
115: 792-796, 2013
<Keywords:Mental Health First Aid(MHFA), psycho‒social first response, mental health, suicide prevention>