Mental health and illness explained

Mental health is the state of wellness that enables individuals (whether in a workplace setting or elsewhere, to cope well with the stresses of life, heal or recover from any mental illness and ultimately participate in their communities. It is different from mental illness, although both are used interchangeably by some, in that a mental illness is a condition or disorder that meets the criterion specified in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental disorders as diagnosed by a mental health professional known as a psychiatrist.

There are over 300 mental illnesses listed in the manual that fit into the 20 categories of the manual. Everyone experiences a form of mental distress and would only be termed as a disorder if the symptoms meet the criteria set out in the manual. Some mental illnesses can co-exist with one another and cause interference with day-to day working. With mental illnesses, medication can be prescribed in addition to talk therapy, like the one done at Triplesee therapy consultancy.

Different factors can cause mental distress in an individual's life, such as family dysfunctionality, the socio-economic status, culture and the work environment. We have different products and services that handle workplace mental health. Work is an essential part of life that elevates a person's sense of achievement which is protective of mental health. Organizational aspects such as job design, scheduling and organizational culture can present hazards and psychosocial risks that exacerbate mental distress, which can eventually lead to a mental health illness.

The cost associated with work psychosocial risks are evident of the grave need to have mental health initiatives at work. Presentism, for instance, which is showing up to work while ill or being present physically yet not able to focus, is common in the workplace and costs the company money as reflected in the Mental health investment case 2021, which notes that 0.6% of the national GDP was lost due to absenteeism, presenteeism and premature mortality. It is even worse if a mental health disorder is present, such as depression, which is reported by a baseline survey conducted by Institute of Human Resource Management and Chiromo Group that 36 working days are lost during a depression episode.

Different factors can cause mental distress in an individual's life, such as family dysfunctionality, the socio-economic status, culture and the work environment.

The interaction of these family dysfunctionality, the socio-economic status, culture and the work environment can be addressed by having an in-house therapist whose role would be to provide a safe environment for handling issues in a confidential and private manner. Some of these issues are beyond the scope of a Human resource manager, who may be unable to provide the professional knowledge and skills to deal with the issues. The in-house therapist can also work with the organization to provide the necessary policies that would safeguard mental health that would influence the organizational culture of the organization.

For more information on how an in-house therapist can aid in prioritizing mental health in the organization, feel free to contact us.