Lying about Mental Health

A recent survey by the Shaw Trust revealed almost 70% of Edinburgh workers would not feel comfortable disclosing a mental health condition.  (The Shaw Trust is a national charity that provides training and work opportunities for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market due to disability, ill health or other social circumstances. The Trust are the largest voluntary sector provider of employment services for disabled people in the UK).

A paltry 6.5% would reveal mental health issues to colleagues, while the percentage who would be willing to raise matters with their human resources department dropped to 4.3%.  Given the current economic climate, there is every likelihood these figures will drop even further as employees are reluctant to draw attention to what might be perceived as shortcomings.

The Shaw Trust have launched a website www.tacklementalhealth.org.uk, to provide employees, and managers, free advice on supporting mental health issues in the workplace.  (Of course, mental conditions are equally likely to affect managers).  This website covers early warning signs of mental health conditions, and outlines how to broach the subject, and how to manage employees with mental health issues.I know from personal experience that when I was discharged from psychiatric hospital, I tended to tell people that I’d been undergoing rehab, rather than admit to being treated for bipolar disorder.

Society is still all too ready to jump to conclusions and crack jokes about ‘wee yellow vans’.