YOUNGSTOWN — Whether it is seasonal, chronic, connected to substance use or past traumas, depression and other mental health issues are often under-addressed even though they can be just as dangerous to a person’s health as a car crash or piece of Thanksgiving turkey stuck in the throat.

Developing the skills to provide mental health first aid can be just as important as learning the Heimlich maneuver or applying a tourniquet when it comes to saving someone’s life.

That is why the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board is providing the community with an instructor trained to teach Mental Health First Aid courses. Jillian Rouse, administrative assistant and prevention trainer for the mental health and recovery board, is available to groups of five to 30 in Mahoning and Trumbull counties to give attendees the skills to interact with people suffering. She has conducted two sessions with county employees so far and one session for the public.

Mental Health First Aid is an organization that certifies instructors on how to teach its courses; more than 2 million people in the United States have been through the training with one of the 15,000 instructors.

“Most of us would know how to help if we saw someone having a heart attack — we’d start CPR, or at the very least, call 9-1-1. But too few of us would know how to respond if we saw someone having a panic attack or if we were concerned that a friend or co-worker might be showing signs of alcoholism,” the organization’s website states. “Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance-use problems by improving understanding and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder.”

For those interested in providing the training, it’s free to public entities, while there is a $19 book fee for other groups, Rouse said.

Churches and businesses have shown interest in the program, Rouse said. The class would be great for people who run support groups, teachers, police officers, case workers, first responders, hospital staff and many others, Rouse said.

Nearly one in five adults in the United States live with mental illness, according to the organization. The course teaches attendees common signs and symptoms of mental illness and substance-use disorders, how to interact with a person in crisis, how to connect the person to help and how to administer overdose reversal drugs.

Many people who have attended the course so far know someone they believe is suffering.

“They normally have questions about how they can help someone … and they ask about the resources that are available,” Rouse said.

Depression and suicidal thoughts are frequent ailments, Rouse said.

“Always offer someone suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts hope. Always offer resources, tell them where and how to get help. Even if they are not ready to seek help, hearing about your concern and learning where they can turn when they are ready could be beneficial to them later,” Rouse said.

The Mayo Clinic recommends people who feel lonely or depressed more than usual around the holidays to express their feelings to the people in your life, reach out and get involved with volunteering or other community events, set realistic holiday expectations, set aside old grievances with family and friends, exercise, learn to say “no” to avoid becoming overwhelmed and seek professional help if the negative feelings last.

Call 211 for a 24/7 crisis line and resource referral network.

rfox@tribtoday.com