What are the causes of mental illness in the workplace?
“One in five people take a day off due to stress, yet up to 90% feel unable to be honest about this being the reason for their absence.”
We all have mental health. It’s important to understand that mental health doesn’t immediately equate with mental illness. Mental health can be good, high, positive or poor, low, negative. We can all have good days and bad days.
“Mental Health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”.
World Health Organization.
When does low mental health become a mental illness?
When low mood lasts for a long time it can increase the risk of developing into a mental illness however as we are each unique individuals that timescale is different for everybody.
There are lots of different risk factors associated with developing low mood and low mental health. Not all of these will be workplace related and the most likely cause of workplace mental illness will be stress.
Stress is normal, natural and necessary so removing it completely isn’t the answer but being aware of the signs and symptoms of stress in order to facilitate an intervention when necessary are important skills to have in every workplace.
What causes stress is again individual - some people thrive on public speaking while others would shrink away from that situation. Some find energy in filing spreadsheets and maintaining documents in order while others would be running for the hills. We are all different and having an understanding of how each of the team prefers to operate and communicate goes a long way to minimise tension, conflict and ultimately stress in the workplace. Everyone can cope with situations they don’t enjoy for a short period of time so it’s not about avoiding scenarios completely but it’s about providing appropriate support to the team members and understanding that stress levels will ebb and flow at different times.
While not an exhaustive list the following are events that could trigger mental ill health:
Beginning a new job or position
A poor relationship with the line manager or boss
Getting married
Increased workloads or promotions
Bereavement
Having children
Health scares or physical illnesses
Divorce or relationship problems
Redundancy or fear of redundancy
Any change in the business
Traumas
Body chemistry changes
Substance misuse
Some of these things are positive but any change is worth a conversation to check in and gauge how people are coping. Making reasonable adjustments early could prevent the mental health issue worsening, prevent absence from the business and maintain productivity.
Contact us to discuss opportunities around Mental Health Awareness training.