MODULE 2:

Mental health issues are a common reason that people take time off work and can potentially lead to poor work performance if left unaddressed. For managers, identifying employees who need support in dealing with their mental health can be notoriously difficult. This module intends to empower you to support the wellbeing of your team and is in no way aimed at training you to diagnose or treat mental health conditions. By proactively spotting the signs and symptoms you will be in a position to identify potential issues early on, thereby taking the necessary action and preventing a negative impact on the business.

What is Mental Health?

We all have mental health, just like we have physical health. Poor mental health can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, race or background. Mental health problems can occur as a result of experiences at home or at work, or they can just happen. Mental health impacts everything from how you think, feel and behave, to how you deal with stress and your relationships. When you are mentally healthy, you are resilient and better able to bounce back from adversity. As a manager, it is in your best interest to appropriately support staff with mental health issues so that they can thrive at work. Bear in mind that mental health issues, whether they are impacting work performance or not, are ultimately the employee’s responsibility to resolve. You may be in a position to offer support and encouragement or to initiate a referral to the EAP, but cannot solve the problem for them. This module aims to clarify some common meNtal health issues to empower managers to identify concerns before there is a major impact on occupational functioning.

What are the warning signs to look out for in an employee?

  • Taking a lot of time off work. Monitor absence patterns to identify trends.
  • Frequent mood swings and uncharacteristic behaviour, like withdrawal or angry outbursts.
  • Abnormal or unkempt appearance.
  • Being unable to concentrate, poor decision making, not meeting deadlines, making regular mistakes.
  • Poor productivity that is not just a once-off.

Let’s look at the symptoms of some common mental health issues.

 

DEPRESSION

What is depression?

According to The American Psychiatric Association, “Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act…….It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work or at home”.

What are the symptoms of depression?

Intense feelings of sadness, difficulty sleeping or excessive sleeping, decreased concentration, an irritable mood, feeling worthless, loss of interest in activities that you used to enjoy, fatigue, hopelessness, significant weight loss or gain, thoughts of suicide.

Is there treatment for depression?

Absolutely! Therapy or medication or a combination of both are used to treat depression. The causes and severity are different for everyone, so treatment varies from person to person. It is necessary to see a psychologist or a psychiatrist for treatment.

It is essential to note that just because someone has been diagnosed with or is being treated for depression does not mean that you should expect them to be lying in a dark room feeling sorry for themselves all day. Many people learn to successfully live with depression through a combination of treatments and can function just as well as anyone who does not have the illness. Having depression does not automatically put you at a disadvantage personally or occupationally. When addressing mental health issues with an employees, it’s important not to label them by focusing on the diagnosis – talk to them about how it affects their work.

 

STRESS AND ANXIETY

Is anxiety the same as stress?

No, stress and anxiety are not the same, but they do share some common symptoms.

Stress is your body’s natural response to a challenge – when you feel like you are not keeping up with life’s demands such as a work deadline or an exam. It’s normally short term and it can be positive or negative. Good stress can motivate you and help you to reach your goals. Bad stress stays for weeks or months and can be detrimental to your mental health and well-being.

The symptoms of stress include: feeling agitated or overwhelmed, difficulty relaxing, low energy, headaches, upset tummy, muscle pain, insomnia, forgetfulness or decreased concentration, worrying

Anxiety is a disorder that can be triggered by stress. It doesn’t go away after the challenge has passed and can be described as a persistent feeling of dread. Like depression, it can have an impact on your functioning at home or at work.

The symptoms of anxiety include: increased heart rate, rapid breathing, restlessness, difficulty falling asleep, decreased concentration, irritability, racing thoughts, nausea, a sense of impending danger

Is there treatment for anxiety?

Like depression, the treatment is therapy or medication or a combination of both and requires a psychologist or a psychiatrist.

 

TRAUMA VS GRIEF

Trauma and grief are often confused with each other. Although they are not unrelated, they are not the same thing either. For example, going through a divorce is a loss and not a trauma. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between the two subjects:

Trauma is a real or perceived threat to a person’s life resulting from an event that is outside of normal human experience and is associated with intense feelings of helplessness, fear and anger and may leave an individual unable to cope. A traumatic event involves actual or threatened death, violence or serious injury. Examples of traumatic events include sexual assault, physical assault, hijacking, robbery/ burglary, witnessing a suicide, a motor vehicle accident, and natural disasters.

The symptoms of trauma include: intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, avoiding talking about the event or avoiding people and places that remind you of the event, hopelessness, feeling numb, difficulty concentrating, being jumpy, feeling irritable or angry, guilt or shame

Most people who experience a traumatic event recover on their own without any intervention. There is no need to go rushing off to counselling immediately unless the individual wants to. If a traumatised employee’s symptoms do not improve after a few weeks, or get worse, it is appropriate to suggest counselling. But don’t push them to attend counselling immediately after the event if they are not ready. In fact, don’t push them to attend counselling at all. If they indicate that they are not ready, provide them with LifeAssist’s contact details and assure them that they can make contact in their own time. Just like everyone has a unique response to trauma, so we all have unique ways of coping with it. Due to differing belief systems, some employees may choose not to go the counselling route, but will rather seek help from religious leaders in the community or make use of traditional healing practices.

How to support a traumatised employee:

  • Individuals react to trauma differently based on various factors, including their levels of resilience. Don’t expect the same reaction from everyone.
  • Show support and offer assistance with their workload if possible.
  • Avoid giving too many new tasks or responsibilities in the days following the traumatic event.
  • Provide contact details for LifeAssist and inform them of the counselling services available.

Grief is the normal response to loss. Bereavement is a specific type of grief related to someone dying. There is no timeline – everyone experiences grief differently. Examples of grief include the death of a loved one, loss of safety, loss of a job, loss of health, the end of a relationship (divorce).

The Kubler-Ross model describes the five stages of grief as: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. These stages don’t necessarily happen in sequence and not everyone experiences every stage.

Some people may experience prolonged grief, also known as complicated grief, that lasts for months or years. In this case professional support is recommended.

How to support a grieving employee:

  • Offer practical help, like extending a deadline or giving some time off to take care of personal matters.
  • Show empathy by acknowledging the loss and offering words of comfort.
  • Check-in with them in the weeks following the loss.
  • Don’t offer advice because you may not be aware of all of the personal circumstances. Avoid sayings like “Be strong” or “It’s for the best”.
  • Respect their privacy and don’t push them to talk to you about it if they don’t want to.
  • Encourage other team members to be supportive and to be patient with the employee while they recover.
  • Provide LifeAssist contact details and inform them of the counselling services available.

Most people will be impacted by poor mental health at some point in their lives, which can come at an enormous cost to the business. So supporting employee’s mental health at work is critical. In 2015 SADAG and Hexor &Lundbeck released research on depression in the workplace. They found:

  • 1 in 4 people had been diagnosed with depression
  • Employees took an average of 18 days off a year because of their depression
  • Only 25% of managers felt they had support in dealing with an employee with depression

Furthermore, SADAG conducted a survey in 2017 on stigma in the workplace. They found that when employees disclosed mental illness to their managers only 31% got a positive/ helpful response, 39% were indifferent, and 30% got a negative response. Furthermore, 56% of respondents said that they had time off work in the past year for mental health reasons.

These stats highlight the necessity for managers to support mental health in the workplace. We hope that this module has empowered you to identify the signs and symptoms of some common mental health issues. Manager consultations are available via the LifeAssist National Support Centre if you would like to discuss how best to deal with a particular employee.

Join us for Module Three where we’ll take a closer look at Substance Use Disorders, the treatment options, and their impact on the workplace!