Common Mental Health Issues in The Workplace

Mental health effects as many as 1 in 4 Americans at some point in their lives and a number of studies claim that this rate of incidence is on the rise. For those suffering from mental health issues, the impact on their day to day lives can be debilitating. Unsurprisingly, mental health issues are one of the leading reasons that employees call in sick to work, although owing to the social stigma that still exists, many people feel that they have to lie and hide their mental health issues from their employer.

In the workplace, mental health issues can not only prevent employees from being able to work, they can also reduce individual morale, making it harder for that person to perform their job to the best of their ability. They can also have a knock-on effect on the other employees around them and can seriously impact the business’ overall productivity and profitability. Below are some of the ways that common mental health issues can impact your business and how you can act to minimize the disruption caused.

Anxiety

There are a number of different forms of anxiety disorders. Some people have a generalized anxiety in social situations and may feel uncomfortable outside of situations with which they are familiar. New experiences and people can trigger panic attacks for those that are particularly sensitive. For employees who have a generalized anxiety disorder, you should encourage them to seek professional help from BetterHelp. Research shows that counseling and other psychological therapies are the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders. Some doctors prefer to treat patients with both medication and cognitive therapies.

Other people have anxieties about specific places, situations, or things and for these individuals all that is usually needed is little bit of accommodation so that they can keep away from their specific triggers.

Depression

Many people equate depression with feelings of sadness but this is not entirely accurate; depression is actually described as the absence of emotion and motivation. The feeling of depressed individuals is closer to persistent boredom than sadness but the inability to enjoy activities which are usually pleasurable can soon have a detrimental impact on an individual’s overall mood.

There are a few different types of depression; the most common is known as unipolar, or major, depression and consists of a persistent low mood and lack of motivation.

It might be worth paying for someone on your team to study an online masters in counseling. Studying a masters in counseling online will equip them to help deal with mental health issues in the workplace and they can do so while continuing to work their current job.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar, or manic, depression is interspersed with periods of mania. Mania involves a ‘high’ or greatly elevated mood and from the outside it can sound or even look like a welcome respite for depressed individuals but in fact manic episodes can be just as damaging as depressive ones.

Mental health issues are something that any business owner is likely to have to face at some point. Statistically, any business employing a reasonable number of people will have to help some of them through mental health problems at some point. Educating yourself and your team about these issues will minimize the disruption they cause.