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Lakisha Mills teaches a class on Mental Health First Aid at the Peggy Brown Building on Nov. 22, 2024. | Cindy Glover, LkldNow
While joyous for many, the holiday season can be difficult for those grieving lost loved ones, experiencing financial stress, navigating family conflict or recovering from a disaster.
More than a dozen area residents learned about “Mental Health First Aid” on Friday at the Peggy Brown Building in the Lake Mirror Complex. The day-long course, taught by licensed therapists, highlighted:
Signs and symptoms that bystanders with little or no medical training can watch out for.
How to provide initial support to someone in crisis.
Community resources for mental health and substance use treatment.
The most important thing, trainer Lakisha Mills said, is to observe any changes in loved ones’ appearance, thinking, emotional state or behavior; ask questions without pushing and listen nonjudgmentally.
Signs and symptoms
Most people experience periods of stress, sadness, agitation or feeling “off.” But it can be a problem if it happens frequently, lasts a long time or has a significant impact on someone’s life.
People suffering from mental health or substance-use disorders often have difficulty coping with the normal stresses of life, working or attending school and engaging in satisfying relationships.
Changes to look for include:
Withdrawal from friends, family and social activity.
Difficulty managing responsibilities, making decisions, concentrating or remembering.
Change in energy level; loss of motivation.
Disinterest in personal appearance.
Cutting or other self-injury.
Talking faster or slower than usual.
Obsessive, compulsive or phobic behavior.
Excessive self-criticism, self-blame, anxiety or guilt.
Oversensitivity to comments or criticism; crying spells.
Helplessness, hopelessness or pessimism.
Rigid thinking or odd ideas.
Altered sense of self, others or the outside world.
Lack of inhibition; risk-taking behavior.
Lack of emotion or emotional response.
Preoccupation with death or suicide.
Excessive irritability or anger.
Helpful approaches
Some comments, although well-intentioned, are not helpful to someone struggling with a mental health disorder, Mills said. For instance, telling someone that “it’ll pass,” “you need to pray about it,” “snap out of it” or “you’ll be OK,” can come across as dismissive and cause someone to withdraw further. Sharing your own experience might shift the discussion away from what the other person is feeling. Mills recommended letting the other person do most of the talking.
Approaches that are more helpful include saying:
“Something seems to be bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?”
“How long have you been feeling like this?”
“I’m concerned about you. Are you doing OK?”
“I may not understand exactly what you’re going through, but I can see that it’s distressing you.”
Assessing the risk
Some situations are more urgent than others. If someone is thinking about suicide and has a plan to carry it out, experts advise calling 9-1-1 immediately. Other resources include:
9-8-8– This is a national crisis hotline that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All communication is secure and confidential.
Crisis Text Line – Some people are more comfortable communicating by text than phone. For crisis support, text HOME to 741741.
The Trevor Project specializes in supporting the LGBTQ community – 866-488-7386
Veterans’ crisis line – For veteran-specific help, dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255.
Non-suicidal self-injury, while not immediately life-threatening, indicates that someone is experiencing emotional pain.
Mills said superficial cutting, scratching, skin-picking, banging or other types of self-harm should be taken very seriously, especially in children and youth. It might not require 9-1-1, but it can become a long-term repetitive behavior and cause lasting disfigurement. In some cases, people inflict more harm on themselves than they intended. Therapy and support are highly recommended.
Recognizing potential overdose
It can be difficult to tell the difference between someone who is very intoxicated and someone who is overdosing. Many overdoses are due to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. At least 474 Polk County residents have died of fentanyl overdoses in the past decade.
Symptoms of a potential opioid overdose include:
Pale, clammy skin.
Blue or purple-tinged fingernails or lips.
Deep snoring or gurgling.
Irregular or infrequent breathing.
The person cannot be awakened verbally or if you rub your knuckles on the center of their ribcage.
A 2022 report by the Florida Department of Health noted that some of those who overdosed might not have known they were taking fentanyl. Fentanyl is sometimes added to other illicit drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and counterfeit prescriptions.
If you know or suspect that a friend or family member is using narcotics, it’s a good idea to have naloxone (also known as Narcan) handy. Naloxone is a nasal spray medicine that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose.
Most first responders carry naloxone. It is also available over-the-counter at pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS at $35 to $45 for two doses.
Community resources
Recovering from a mental health or substance use disorder typically requires professional counseling and support. Mills said some people avoid getting help because of stigma. For others, cost, insurance coverage, lack of transportation or long wait lists can be obstacles.
One barrier that is relatively easy to overcome is awareness of resources. Doing research and making phone calls can be difficult for people in crisis. Loved ones can help by reaching out on their behalf to find providers.
Local resources include:
United Way’s 2-1-1 referral line – United Way of Central Florida operates a free, confidential help line and resource directory. Dial 2-1-1 for support and contact information for local providers.
Hazel Health – Polk County public school students can get free short-term therapy and care coordination services via telehealth. Local students used Hazel Health 11,308 times over the past two years for both physical and mental health ailments.
Peace River Center is a local nonprofit organization that offers counseling, crisis services, victim support and residential treatment on a sliding scale based on family size and income. The organization says, “PRC will never deny services to anyone based on their inability to pay and will not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s race, color, sex, national origin, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Hope for Healing navigates the many ways Floridians can access help for mental health and substance abuse.
The Florida Department of Children and Families has a Mental Health and Substance Abuse portal that offers crisis support and resources to locate verified social services providers.
The Mental Health First Aid program was sponsored by Orlando Health, RISE Community Solutions and the R2Cares Foundation, a nonprofit group founded by Ronnie Richardson — a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres. Richardson currently coaches the Tampa Bay Rays. He was born in Bartow and graduated from Lake Region High School.
Any group with at least five participants can request a Mental Health First Aid training at no cost, according to Trinity Kimble, training and engagement manager for RISE, and Sara Osborne, senior director of community benefit for Orlando Health. For more information, email MentalHealthFirstAid@OrlandoHealth.com.
Insight Polk examines community conditions and solutions in six target areas from UCIndicators.org: economic & employment opportunity, education, housing, food security, transportation & infrastructure, and quality of life.
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting is made possible by the United Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
Cindy's reporting for LkldNow focuses on Lakeland city government. Previously, she was a crime reporter, City Hall reporter and chief political writer for newspapers including the Albuquerque Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She spent a year as a community engagement coordinator for the City of Lakeland before joining LkldNow in 2023. Reach her at cindy@lkldnow.com or 561-212-3429.
