A Merseyside charity is asking businesses to do more to tackle mental health issues following a survey revealing one in three women take anti-depressants.
Health@Work is sending out the warning after the survey found that women are turning to the drug to improve their mental health. The survey questioned over 2,000 adults in England and Wales and found that 57 per ent of women who have taken anti-depressants in the past were not offered any alternatives. The survey also found that 18 percent of women kept taking anti-depressants secret from their families and ten percent didn’t tell their partner.
Frances Molloy, Chief Executive of Health@Work said: “These latest figures show the high volume of people who have mental health issues. What is even more alarming is that many people still see mental health as a taboo subject and want to keep it quiet from their loved ones. “We visit workplaces and tackle issues such as mental health. We train employers how to spot any early warning signs of workers suffering from a mental health issues and advise employees on simple changes they can make to reduce the likelihood of them having any mental health problems. “People don’t always have to resort to anti-depressants as there are alternative ways to combat mental health problems, particularly if it is a workplace issue which is the cause. If this is the case, things can be changed to help provide a positive solution. The key with tackling mental health issues is to make it less of a taboo subject, which can be discussed openly, that way small problems don’t become big problems later on.” The service is supporting the Liverpool PCT initiative, the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, an award for businesses who are dedicated to improving health in the workplace. The Workplace Wellbeing Charter focuses on helping businesses improve seven key areas – mental health and stress; leadership; sickness and absence management, alcohol and substance misuse; smoking; healthy eating and physical activity. It also offers support and advice to businesses in all aspects of workplace health.
