World Mental Health Day is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness, promote mental health within the workplace, and start meaningful conversations.

Did you know that one in four people in the world suffers from mental health issues at some point during their lives?

With so many people suffering from mental health problems, it’s inevitable that we know someone close to us who is personally affected.

 

World Mental Health Day 2019: Preventing Suicide

World Mental Health Day this year focused on suicide prevention with the vital message that ‘everyone has a role to play.’

Suicide is far more common in the UK than we might think. Over 6,500 people in the UK take their own lives every year.

With the right support systems, many of these cases are preventable.

While the reasons for suicide are many and complex, Government research from 2017 suggests that a person’s occupation can increase their risk.

Nursing staff, primary teachers and agricultural workers have higher rates of suicide. Low-skilled male labourers are also 3 times more likely to take their own lives than the national average.

Many of these occupations share similar traits like low job security, zero-hour contracts and high-stress jobs.

Chronic stress has been linked to workplace suicides around the globe, with rates particularly high in countries like the US and Japan.

Yet, this doesn’t have to be a reality. Addressing chronic stress early and making sure employees aren’t overworked goes a long way towards preventing these situations.

 

How to Identify Poor Mental Health in the Workplace

Watching out for signs of poor mental health in co-workers is essential. Some signs to look for include:

  • A lack of interest in day-to-day activities
  • Low mood and tearfulness
  • Poor concentration
  • Drop in normal performance or ability to meet deadlines
  • Struggling to make decisions
  • Finding it hard to show up to work on time or commit to future plans
  • Feeling overwhelmed

 

There are many ways to support a co-worker who may be suffering from mental health issues. It’s important to be available to talk at a time and place that suits them, to adopt a friendly and non-judgmental approach and most importantly to encourage them to seek help.

 

Learn More about Workplace Stress

Our whitepaper on workplace stress tackles this very important subject and provides recommendations on how to identify and address stress early.

Our digital stress test creates a personal stress portrait which helps visualise stress levels and provides access to our Stress PLAN.