A recent mental health enquiry has disclosed that employment-related issues are a sizable contributing element to mental health complications, according to more than a third of the participants. As the globe observes World Mental Health Day this Thursday, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services is placing a fervent emphasis on the importance of mental health within the working environment.
In the yearly survey, titled Annual Attitudes to Mental Health and Stigma, approximately 37% of the 1,000 participants, a representative sample of the national population, reported that their employment life had a psychological effect on them. An additional 47% were oblivious to the legal requirement for employers to make reasonable adjustments for employees suffering mental health issues, and 42% expressed discomfort at the idea of requesting time off from their manager due to mental health concerns.
The survey further revealed that 39% doubted the ability of an individual experiencing panic attacks to fulfil the role of head of a large corporation. A troubling 52% of participants felt that Irish employment settings were not welcoming towards individuals with mental health problems.
St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, the leading non-profit mental health care provider in Ireland, is working to inspire both employers and staff to recognise available support mechanisms and the rights of employees grappling with mental health issues. Despite clear indications of a pressing need for more inclusive, non-discriminatory work environments free from mental health stigmas, the organisation states that public perceptions are evolving in a more positive direction, with stigma being increasingly addressed over time.
This promising shift in attitudes was reinforced by data that 26% of the population reported that a colleague had confided in them about their mental health struggles, a noticeable rise from the 14% who indicated the same in a survey five years prior.
In a statement regarding this year’s World Mental Health Day, Paul Gilligan, CEO of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, quoted, “wellness is the crux of our overall health and is a fundamental human right”; a principle everyone should be permitted to experience.
Employment significantly influences our wellness, acting as a critical provider of confidence, self-identification and satisfaction,” he noted. The study further revealed that almost 50% of the people who responded are unaware of their entitlement to reasonable adjustments in the workplace for mental health issues. Such adjustments could involve being granted leave for mental health care sessions, the provision of flexible work times or an altered timetable, or a staged re-introduction to work.