Walking In Darkness

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

I wasn't aware of this when I started this blog -- but it's coming in handy; a lot more mental health related news items:

EMPLOYERS MADE AWARE OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

When Dianne Dorlester was having a bad day, she found it hard to concentrate on even simple tasks at work. But she hesitated to say anything to co-workers or her boss because she knew of the stigma associated with mental illness.

Specifically, Dorlester was suffering from depression, but she thought that some people simply would believe she needed to "snap out of it."

"While depression is extremely common, most people are afraid to say anything if they suffer from it," Dorlester says. "There's a real lack of understanding by others, who just think you need to get yourself together."

Dorlester now receives treatment for her depression, and knows that when things get really bad, she can take time off work. Her work situation is helped by the fact that she now is director of consumer advocacy for the National Mental Health Association.

"I think you have to learn to be an advocate for yourself," she says. "Once I spoke out, I found tremendous support from others."

[...snip...]

Part of NMHA's workplace efforts include teaching workers and bosses the signs of depression, which include: a persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood; changes in sleep patterns; reduced appetite and weight loss or increased appetite and weight gain; loss of pleasure and interest in once-enjoyable activities; restlessness or irritability; fatigue or loss of energy; feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless; and thoughts of suicide and death.

The NMHA also wants workers to be aware that if chronic stress on the job leads to persistent problems such as feeling constantly overwhelmed, being overly emotional or puts a strain on relationships, then they may need help.

[...snip...]

I applaud the efforts of the NMHA in raising awareness of depression and mental health issues in the workplace...but in reality, there's still such a stigma that I don't know if we can ever feel safe discussing it. That's especially the case in this economy, where people always have to watch their backs because they never know when their job is going to be "outsourced", or they're not going to be the "right fit" for the organization. In future posts I hope to do some research into ADA and mental health, and give an outline of people's rights so that we can at least feel like we have a fighting chance.

posted by Cali Scribe @ 11:16 AM