The typical statistic quoted about mental health is that 1 in 4 of us will be impacted by poor mental health in some way during our lives. Derek Tracy, Clinical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist in South London, argues that, in truth, the ratio is more like 4 in 4: every one of us will be touched by poor mental health, either directly or indirectly. When you think about mental health through that lens, then you realise that this is a subject that’s too important to be left to other people; we all have a contribution to make.
There is a huge focus on mental health generally today. We have Britain’s young princes and the tireless efforts of charities, campaigning organisations, universities and the healthcare profession generally to thank for this new focus. At a public level of discourse, this positive approach to mental health and well-being is a step in the right direction for all of us. Yet, on a one to one level, attitudes expressed can be more sceptical than perhaps we read or hear about in the press. In recent months, private conversations with HR directors in major organisations have contained more cautious views about the UK’s growing mental health movement.
“It’s a Pandora’s box, which could cost the organisation dearly”, stated one HRD of a globally recognisable organisation. “Let’s sort out the potential legal issues that might arise before we engage with that topic”, said another. “We have our occupational health scheme in place, so we’re covered”, stated a third HRD with cool-headed pragmatism.
These remarks are not presented as a piece of hard research to demonstrate a hidden attitudinal trend across HRD’s. They are, perhaps, a signal of the searching questions that preoccupy even the most avid supporter of mental health and well-being initiatives. Questions such as: ‘What can I do practically to support the people in my organisation? How can I tackle this at an individual and organisational level? How do I make this a cultural shift, not just a process?’
There can be no simple or final answer to such questions, but this short article offers some personal and professional experiences that might help finding a starting point. The Strategy Group Session at the forthcoming Human Resource in Barcelona during October, 2018, is a another opportunity for senior HR professionals to share further thoughts and experiences in the mental health arena.
Firstly, there seems to be a strong view that one of the best ways to prepare managers and colleagues to provide better support for mental health challenges is to adopt a didactic form of learning. This requires people to understand the wide range of mental health labels and challenges that are found in our world. With this understanding under our belts, the logic goes, we can identify different forms of mental ‘illness’ and point people in the right direction for support. There are several challenges with this approach.
Firstly, the labels might be wrong, or at least inappropriate. Some clinicians are challenging the notion that clinical mental health labels are helpful or even accurate. “Language matters in mental health. Words matter. Meanings matter because it’s about who are as people. It’s about how we define ourselves and how others define us”, said Dr Tracy in a recent film about mental health at King’s College, London. “In my own clinical practice, I don’t talk about ‘depression’, I talk about the ‘depressions’ because that fits better with the range of things I see clinically’. So, if the mental health experts (and the people who seek the support of such people) question the value of contemporary labels such as ‘depression’, ‘anxiety’, ‘bipolar disorder’, ‘schizophrenia’, etc., what’s the real value of such an approach for us in the workplace? Of course, that’s not to say that mental health categories are not useful clinically for both professional diagnosis and treatment. They are. Clinical utility doesn’t mean that it should be the central focus of colleague support in our places of work.
Perhaps the accuracy of the label itself is the least important factor. More important is the fact that mental health labels can stigmatise us. What do we mean by stigma? The negative assumptions, attitudes and behaviours related to mental health diagnostic labels that result in discrimination. The data is unequivocal. Mental health stigma is a serious problem. Researchers have found that the negative associations of mental health labels affect our employment and career opportunities; they affect our relationships; they even deter us from seeking the help we need when experiencing well-being challenges. And it’s not just the general-public who are likely to stigmatise: clinical professionals have been found to be a source of stigma for people seeking support with mental health challenges.
Does that mean we live in a callous world where negative judgements are made consciously and continuously about those of us facing mental health challenges? Of course not. The truth is that our deep underlying beliefs about mental health are shaped unconsciously, often (though not always) morphing into stereotypes that implicitly see the behaviour associated with mental health labels as signs of permanent incompetence or danger. Experts in the field of tackling mental health stigma have found one universal principle that appears to work: social interaction with people who have experience of mental health challenges. Positive effects can be found through one to one conversations, or through the medium of film or live drama.
So where does that leave us?
Rebekah Tapping, HRD of employee services organisation, the Personal Group, had this to say: ‘Forget the labels, it’s relationships that are critical for building positive mental health and well-being in an organisation. And that isn’t easy; people need help to develop relationships based on real trust’. She isn’t alone. Peter Scraton, HR Director of logistics organisation Arrow XL argues: ‘To create a supportive culture in an organisation that is performance and well-being focused, we don’t want our managers and colleagues to do more; we want them to do better. Engaging people, listening to each other properly and being brave about the questions we ask are what I think is needed’.
As part of a recent project to build forum theatre interventions for managers, we interviewed several people who had coped recently with anxiety or depression. We asked them what they wanted from colleagues, managers and their employers when facing difficult times. Everyone we talked to emphasised the importance of real, two-way conversations where the other person (manager or colleague) leaves their biases and assumptions behind. As one person said during the interview, ‘Don’t label me, listen to me.’
At a recent workshop with Vodafone UK, Kevin Osment and his team of commercial managers, created these ‘rules’ for supporting each other’s well-being in the workplace. They are worth repeating here:
– Create more time for each other
– Look out for changes in behaviour (but don’t feel the need to categorise)
– Ignore the feeling to ‘fix the problem’ – just listen
– Make space for brave conversations that go beyond work and performance
– Be empathic and supportive, avoid being stuck in your own agenda
– Understand what support the organisation offers
Kevin’s team demonstrate that creating positive working environments doesn’t require complex concepts about abstract mental health categories. What is needed are compassionate conversations where we walk past our assumptions and biases; conversations that are confident and marked by the courage to ask the questions that help us to support each other. There’s no doubt that such conversations may be awkward and difficult in many situations, but they are worth the effort. After all, who knows when we might need someone to listen to us?
Please try the free quiz on mental health at the following link:
