“A lot of people don’t realize that depression is an illness. I don’t wish it on anyone, but if they would know how it feels, I swear they would think twice before they just shrug it.”
Depression is a potent illness, a horrible sickness that millions of people struggle with on a day to day basis. It is a black poison that seeps into the mind and wreaks havoc with both your logical, rational and emotional thoughts. It is difficult to control, unpredictable, and above all deceptive to both the victim and outsiders. Finding your way out of this supernatural and eerie fog is a complex challenge.
According to Mental Health Statistics 1 in 4 British adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year, and 1 in 6 experiences this at any given time while across the world it is estimated that 450 million people are afflicted by mental illnesses. It is sad to imagine that when we live in a society bloated with self-help data, possess access to the most information in human history and are connected twenty four hours a day that anxiety, fear, depression and loneliness continues to plague so many of us.
Whatever the root causes of the affected individual the difficulty of tackling depression in the workplace and the issues involved will overlap. Approachability is a necessity and considering the confidential and personal nature of the matter it can often be very hard for an employer or fellow employees to approach someone suffering.
The problem is that it is never as simple as that. The severity, the symptoms, the causes, and the behaviours of someone afflicted by depression and related mental illnesses fluctuates dramatically from person to person. Treatment will likewise vary from talking, advice and counselling to anti-depressants, therapy, and time off work. There is no one simple solution to countering depression. Company sponsored counselling sessions may be unhelpful for some and the office culture and values may not be permissible to have a heart to heart on the issues at hand with a particular individual. Nor is it an inevitability that employers will always get along, thus removing the inclination for someone to approach a fellow employee to discuss their problems work-related or otherwise. This stigmatisation of the illnesses is illustrated by Noch Noch Li in Forbes:
“The problem is that many do not know they are suffering from depression, and even if they suspect it, they tend to hide it from their employers. Employees are afraid mental illnesses would cause them to lose their jobs and financial stability, and those who admit it do not know where to find help and therapy, for hardly any medical insurance cover clinical psychology treatments.”
Employment is covered under the Equalities Act. Your employer has to make adjustments for your depression if it is a long term condition. The onus is one the mangers to act if a colleague is depressed or suffering from severe anxiety. Nevertheless people worry that their employer or colleagues will see you in a different light due to stigma around depression.
After all in the darker times those who suffered from mental illness were isolated and wrongly locked up in a lunatic asylum. We forget that as a society it is only in the sixty to seventy years that we have started to accommodate those suffering. You’d be surprised at how easy it is for a person to cover up the pain; some are crying for help, others eyes look glazed and may be mistaken for boredom or tiredness, others are their normal, ‘happy’ and bubbly selves that we know and love, other isolate themselves, and some (perhaps most dangerously) remain silent. Who can forget the harrowing but very normal final interview of footballer Gary Speed whose death the next day shook British football to its core? Who can forget the tragic suicide of Robin Williams, one of funniest and famous comedians on the planet? That is how easy it is to hide, even for athletes and comedians who many argue have the best full-time job in the world. It is a state of mind, not a matter of what you have be it money, material benefits even family and everything that you desire and want.
“I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone.”
So what can an employer do to address an inherently complex issue? Jim Miller argues that:
‘The first thing to look at is whether your well-being programme addresses mental health as well as physical health? For example, are we putting enough store by the importance of work-life balance and creating a culture and values where people feel able to flag when there is a problem, as well as promoting physical health checks and nutrition? How equipped do managers feel to have conversations about mental health? Do they know what the organisation offers by way of support and how to signpost people to it?’
A good working culture and good values may not necessarily solve a particular affliction, but it may encourage them to speak out or allow you to speak to them more easily. For young people and graduates with uncertain futures in career, finance, relationships (and the huge pressure and stress on their shoulders to get the grades and kick-start a successful career) this change in perceptions and tackling mental illnesses is increasingly important.
What can you do if you are afflicted? Find the little things that make you tick and smile. Keeping things pent up is never the solution, doing nothing when you see someone suffering solves nothing. Certainly using self-medication (a.k.a drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, self-harm, and fast-food) is the worst possible solution as there will always be a point in time when addictive substances and habits can no longer numb the traumas. It is an escape mechanism that does not address the root issues of inner turmoil. These issues no matter how difficult have to, in some way or another, be addressed. Happiness isn’t something that you pursue or you hunt down or something that will instantly appear. It is the somethings you do, patiently pursuing, nurturing and developing your passions in career and useful hobbies and positively changing the little things that you do every day.
There is always someone who can help. Those who have recovered or tamed their illness have found a way and ultimately whatever the causes of depression are for a person; challenging, talking about, facing up to, addressing and tackling both the symptoms and root causes however painful and heart-wrenching are always better than avoiding them. “Your move chief.” 🙂
Matthew Williams, Social Media Assistant