Welcome to our new blog series, In Case You Missed It: Mental Health.
In this series we bring you a collection of current media highlights about Mental Health.
When living with a mental health condition, chances are, you will have to face the decision of whether or not to tell others at work. Typically, the reason for disclosure is to ask for accommodation for better performance. An accommodation is modifying a job, the job site, or the way things are done to enable a qualified individual with an equal employment opportunity.
Mental health first aid teaches about recovery and resilience. The belief is that individuals experiencing these challenges can get better and use their strengths to stay well. When you take the course, you learn how to apply the mental health first aid action plan in various situations, including when someone's experiencing panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, or behaviors.
The National Sleep Foundation stresses that adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night, and any less could pose serious consequences to a person’s health and safety. Sleep helps people recover from illness or injury, cope with stress, and solve problems. Common sleep-wake disorders include insomnia, which can lead to anxiety and depression.
The complex relationship between sleep and psychiatric disorders means that treatment for both issues can go hand-in-hand.
It's important to understand that self-harm or self-injury does not involve a conscious intent to die by suicide - and as such, the clinical term for this behavior is called Non-Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI). NSSI can take many forms from cutting, picking, burning, bruising, puncturing, embedding, scratching, or hitting one's self, just to name a few. In its simplest form, NSSI is a physical solution to an emotional wound.
Reduces stigma. Knowledge trumps discrimination. Learning about mental health awareness will challenge misconceptions and debunk myths about mental illness. Mental illness is still poorly understood in society, so the better informed you are, the better equipped you are to identify…
Open up to more people in your life. Finding a space to share your feelings and worries is a great way to improve your mental health. When you express what is on your mind to someone, you will be lifting the weight off your shoulders.
Create Ally Leadership. If you’re in a leadership role, you have incredible power to create change in your organization. Create a social experience for team members to talk about their experience with mental health, both in life and at your current workplace. They might be able to gauge the temperature of your workplace better when it comes to opinions about mental health, provide some insight into company history or leadership positions on the issue, or commit to partnering with you to reduce stigma about mental health at work.