PSG #023: Every PhD candidate, Postdoc and PI should become a Mental Health First Aider

Maybe you saw it already on our social media, I, Michaela, am now officially a mental health first aider (MHFA).

Here you can find more information: Germany, worldwide.

The CRC I belong to offered all members to become an MFHA and paid for it.

We think it’s really great that some universities, institutes, and CRCs are starting to recognize how important mental health is for academics. Not only for the individual's well-being but also for the overall success.

If we are mentally well and healthy, we are more focused, concentrated, productive, and successful. This is all very important for everyone but especially for everyone working in academia with huge workloads and pressure.

The MHFA only on the side teaches about the prevention of mental health problems.

Improving your mental health:

Here are three common things you can easily do, to improve your mental health:

• move! In whatever way you like. Walks, especially in nature, have been shown to be very beneficial
• Do things that life you have, make you feel good and rested
• Stay away from any kind of drugs. And yes alcohol counts as a drug and severely impacts your (mental) health

The main goal of MHFA:

The main goal of MHFA is to teach participants

• which symptoms of depression, anxiety, psychosis, and substance abuse have
• How to talk to someone who might struggle (we practiced different situations as role play!)
• How to figure out how severe the problem is
• And how to help the sufferer to get the help they need

We received a huge manual with a lot of information and a workbook with practical exercises.

MHFA helps to reduce stigma around mental illness and creates awareness.

That’s why it should be a requirement for everyone like the first aid course you need to take before getting a driver’s license (especially for all supervisors;-).

Especially in academia, everyone would benefit from knowing how different mental illnesses can express themselves and what to do. We could help each other and ourselves!

Action steps for this week:

Maybe you can suggest to your CRC, institute, or university to offer MHFA training.

Or you just inform yourself a bit about anxiety, depression, high-functioning depression

And check out where you can find help. Many universities and institutes have helpdesk that you can contact anonymously

See you next week!

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If you want more help:

We're excited to share the PhD Survival System with you because we know how tough it can be to get through a PhD program. We have developed a holistic system combining all the necessary areas to obtain optimal results.

We start with the foundation, your mindset and on top of that we building two pillars with time management and stress management.