January 2018

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Vital Signs
On Mental Health In The
Workplace
The thought of starting another busy work year must have been heavy on the minds of some as
2018 began. But how can managers respond to mental health issues in the workplace?
- By Dr. Anne Mbonu
Mental health problems are often hidden in plain sight,
like an open secret. They are the proverbial elephant
in the room. No one really wants to talk about mental
health and we’d like to pretend that it’s not an issue but it is
and we must acknowledge it, because the consequences of not
doing so are potentially devastating to individuals and to those
close to them.
What Is Mental Health?
Let’s begin at the beginning. The World Health Organization
defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every
individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the
normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and
is able to make a contribution to her or his community”.
Mental health therefore, is not simply the absence of mental
illness, but rather the status of being psychologically, emotionally
and behaviourally well adjusted. This would enable people to
achieve a satisfactory level of social functioning, to develop and
maintain meaningful and positive relationships at home, at work
and at play.
In short, mental health is the capacity to live a full and productive
life and to enjoy that life. In order to accomplish this, you have
to be able to interact with other people in a way that is mutually
beneficial. After all, no man is an island, and relationships are the
cornerstone of successful living.
By extension, mental illness being the absence of mental health,
could manifest as the lack of a clear personal identity, limited
psychological and emotional resilience and poor social
functioning. This often culminates in the inability to successfully
accomplish the usual activities of daily living such as sustaining
meaningful relationships, coping with the usual stresses of life,
producing good quality work, having a good opinion of yourself
and fulfilling your potential.
to diagnosis and treatment is only very slowly improving and
both employers and the government need to work together to
improve access to diagnosis and treatment.
Productivity
Poor mental health and wellbeing in the workplace negatively
impacts on productivity. Chronic stress due to high workloads
and time pressures is probably the commonest problem
encountered in the workplace, and this stress often leads to burn
out. Other common problems are angry outbursts, misplaced
aggression, and low self-esteem as a result of failing to meet
personal and organisational goals. Once the vicious cycle is
initiated, it can become self-sustaining, leading to a steady,
inexorable decline in performance.
“
It is challenging to
accurately compute how
many hours of work are
lost due to mental health
related problems, but it
certainly runs into millions.
“
The image of mental illness that people usually conjure up in
their minds is that of a person experiencing a full blown psychotic
episode. However, other mental health problems such as stress,
anxiety, mood disorders, personality disorders, suicidal ideation
and addiction are far more pervasive and chronic, leading to a
lasting impact on people’s lives.
The stigma surrounding mental health makes it difficult for
people to come forward and seek help or treatment. Access
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