The Impact Mental Health Can Have in a Workplace
Our mental health is a huge part of who we are, and it can be the difference between a good day and a bad day. When you’re a working adult with a mental health issue, it can be difficult to navigate one day from the next.
That’s why, in Mental Health Awareness Week, it’s important to shed light on how a person’s mental health can impact their work.
Depression
Mental health illnesses can bring different responses out of people, no two experiences are the same.
This is important to keep in mind as we navigate our way through this article.
The symptoms of depression we outline may not show up in your own experience, however, they are general symptoms to be aware of.
According to the NHS, these are a few of the symptoms of depression:
Having a low self-esteem
Continuous low mood
Disturbed sleep
These are a few symptoms. However, when these are applied to the workplace, it wouldn’t be surprising if they translated to a lack of focus, disorientation, and a struggle to perform typical tasks.
Mental health is no one’s fault, however, it can cause havoc if left untreated.
Anxiety
If someone is suffering with anxiety, a few of the general symptoms they may experience are:
Uncontrollable worrying that causes distress
Feeling restless or on edge
Feeling irritable
Having difficulty concentrating or feeling your mind goes blank
In the workplace, these symptoms may translate to being unable to converse with colleagues in a fair and reasonable way, a consistent worry that they may lose their job, or having trouble focusing on the task at hand. They may also be seen as disagreeable or unable to perform their allocated tasks.
Regardless of the way it impacts their life, anxiety and working can be tricky for many people. As such, a fair approach should be taken when helping with it.
BPD
If you live with BPD (borderline personality disorder), then you may experience some of these symptoms:
Emotional instability
Impulsive behaviour
Disturbed patterns of thinking
Unstable relationships
This may mean that there’s a struggle with things like addictive substances or hearing voices, but BPD looks different on everyone.
In the workplace, you may find a struggle to connect with others, have an issue telling reality apart from hallucinations, or battle with the temptation of reckless behaviour.
Regardless of the mental health issue, dealing with one in the workplace (and other areas of life) is an exhausting and long process. And, depending on the severity of the condition, may take some time to resolve.
If you aren’t sure how to support your employee in the workplace, then get in contact with OH One. We have a designated team of nurses to help create personalised action plans and support systems to keep you (or employee) in work.
