Mental Health and Well-being

What is mental health?

NHS Health Scotland describes good mental health as a:

 “basic component of positive health and well-being.  It is necessary to help us manage our lives successfully, and provide us with the emotional and spiritual resilience to allow us to enjoy life and deal with distress and disappointment."

Mental health can be a very positive thing.  It is something that we all aim to have.  However we all go through times in our lives where we may experience mental illness.  ‘Mental illness’ is a shorthand term for a variety of illnesses that affect our mental well-being.  It covers a range of symptoms and experiences.

How does it affect our working lives?

Everyone has mental health needs and nearly three in ten employees will have a mental health problem in anyone year (The office of national statistics 1995).  While there are many different causes of, and catalysts for, mental illness, a positive working environment and appropriate support at work has a significant impact on stress related sickness absence and long term outcomes for employees experiencing mental illness (Mentality 2002).

• 1 in 6 adults at any one time is experiencing mental illness (mentality 2002)
• 30% of all GP consultations involve mental health problems (Our National Health, a plan for action a plan for change: Scottish Executive Health Department December 2000)
• 30-40% of absences from work are caused by mental health problems (Scottish Needs Assessment Programme)
• Mental illness is the second biggest category of occupational ill health after muscular-skeletal problems (Health and Safety Executive estimate, 2000).
• Stigma and discrimination affects at least one third of those with mental problems in Scotland (Scottish Executive 2002)

What can workplaces do to address mental health?

The charity Mentality have produced “A toolkit for Mental Health Promotion in the workplace” which looks at practical steps for addressing mental health in the workplace.  The toolkit contains the following suggestions

Promoting the mental health and well-being of all staff by:

• recognising that all staff have mental health needs
• raising awareness of what people can do to look after their own and others’ mental well-being
• identifying and addressing the factors that affect mental health in the workplace

Offering assistance, advice and support.  This should include:

• Building a working culture in which mental health issues are not taboo
• Providing support options which are confidential and non-stigmatising
• Employment practices should be reviewed to ensure that staff with a history of mental health problems are not excluded.

For more information on Mentality’ services or to order you own copy of the toolkit visit www.mentality.org.uk