From the Teacher Support Network, www.teachersupport.info.

TEACHERS IN WALES TO SPOT SIGNS OF MENTAL ILLNESS
About 300 people die by suicide each year in Wales

The BBC reported last week that teachers in Wales could soon be trained to spot signs of mental health problems as part of a plan to reduce Wales' suicide rate. Staff working in schools may be trained on how to recognise early signs of mental health problems.

According to recent reports, the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) will use existing revenue and new sources of funding to invest £10m into a five-year action plan.

This ‘Mental Health First Aid’ programme, partly funded by the National Lottery, has been running in some parts of Wales but will now be rolled out across the country. By March 2009, 75 instructors will work be trained to work with teachers to ensure they can recognise the signs of distress and point towards specialist help.

The WAG said almost three-quarters of those who commit suicide in Wales are unknown to mental health services in the year before they die.

Health Minister Edwina Hart said the culture around mental health issues needed to be changed "so that the signs can be identified, and support provided, at an earlier stage".

"Every suicide is a tragedy with a life and family member lost,” Hart said.

The plan is based on an Australian strategy, which has also been introduced to teachers in Scotland.

Mental health charity Mind Cymru Policy officer Gareth Jones said the project was not about turning people into experts in mental health. "It's just help, as you would with first aid."

Jones added that people often found it difficult to ask someone in distress whether they had suicidal thoughts. "By asking that question you give people permission to talk about it. In the same way that we don't like to ask it, people don't like to talk about it," he added.

On average, about 300 people die by suicide each year in Wales, a lower rate than in Scotland, but higher than England.

• Spotting the signs of a mental health problem
• Mental health in the workplace
• Common Mental Health Problems: Supporting school staff by taking positive action
• Mental health in the workplace: legislation
• Mind