Insights from the Priory – part 2: What is mental illness and what are the signs?

PES teamed up with the Priory in London in June to host two exciting wellbeing seminars on mental health at work.

In our second blog, we share some insights from consultant psychiatrist Dr Jaya Gowrisunkur (see our first blog for more insights). Next week we’ll offer a re-cap of mindfulness and the importance of good sleep.

What is mental illness and what are the signs?

Mental health can affect our moods, result in physical symptoms, make us agitated and perhaps experience psychotic episodes (where perception of reality becomes distorted).

Most commonly, however, people experience a combination of anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, the symptoms may not be severe enough to justify a clinical diagnosis, but they can still be very debilitating (as anyone with experience of them at work will know).

The most frequent symptoms are:

• sadness
• negative thoughts
• anxiety and worry
• irritability
• reduced concentration
• disturbed sleep
• fatigue, loss of motivation
• somatic (physical) symptoms.

How common is mental illness?

Mental ill-health has now reached global epidemic proportions, illustrated by these shocking statistics.

• Depression accounts for 12% of non-fatal global disease.
• By 2020, experts predict it will be the second biggest cause of disability after cardio-vascular disease.
• 5-10% of people in the UK are depressed at any one time.
• One in 10 people in the UK have anxiety (which can lead to panic attacks, phobias, social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders).

Stress – a 21^st century plague

There’s so much information around about stress nowadays – this alone proves just how much it plagues us. It’s no exaggeration to say that stress can destroy minds, bodies and lives.

On a positive note, the stress response is a normal, necessary reaction that equips us deal with challenges. It helps us survive and cope with change.

On the downside, our bodies haven’t kept pace with the mind-boggling changes in society. We’re rarely in life-threatening, physical danger (in the comfortable Western world, at least), but the body doesn’t know this. It reacts as if we were, even when we’re safe. And it stays in a heightened state of alertness because there are so few physical outlets for that charged energy, especially in the workplace. Learning how to recognise this response and building resilience is key to managing stress at work.

What causes stress at work?

With any mental illness, the cause is generally a combination of stressful events and what makes a person who they are. For example, be aware of:

• predisposing factors such as personality type and/or difficult early childhood experiences (for example, hard-working, driven, determined people who like to be in control)
• challenging life events (such as divorce or bereavement) or the onset of physical illness
• a tendency toward perfectionism (watch out for presenteeism at work).

In the workplace, there are many factors that contribute to stress. These can include:

• poor environment
• organisational culture
• poor communication style
• targets
• management style
• bullying and harassment.

Add to this the modern ‘instant access’ culture, where the web, emails and mobile technology allow no downtime, it’s no wonder that 25% of people would love to leave their jobs!

Beware the small stuff

Stress needn’t be brought on by a major crisis. Many working lives are an accumulation of small, irritating, daily events which grow into crises precisely because they seem so trivial and manageable at first.

People will try to cope by doing more, or conversely by avoiding the problem. Addictions can take hold as a way of self-medicating distress, including work addiction. Eventually burn out and illness will result.

Create a supportive culture

Help your employees by raising awareness about mental health and training mental health first aiders to offer support. Challenge perceptions that may cause others to think that the person affected is not pulling their weight or just bad at their job.

Remember that the stigma attached to mental illness means that employees may go to great lengths to conceal their distress. If you focus on creating a positive employee experience, you’re setting up the conditions for positive mental health at work.

About PES

Delivering a great employee experience is a challenge for growing organisations. At PES, it’s what we do. Our online employee benefits platform, HR support and workplace wellbeing services bring out the best in your employees – enabling your business to thrive.

Call us on 01454 808658, email us at hello@wearepes.co.uk or fill in our enquiry form.