Written by: Daniella Marchese
Edited by: Eastlyn Zhou
‘My employer offers mental health leave, but how do I return to work after?’ The stigma surrounding mental illness and mood disorders, in particular, continues despite employers' attempts to offer breaks to their employees who are struggling. While previous studies have been done to find the most effective tools companies can use to accommodate their workers with mental illness, “little attention has been paid to the return to work process” after a mental health leave (Mastousian and Otto 2023, p. 2). Deciding to take a mental health break from work can be a hard enough decision and not understanding the resources offered by your workplace can make this seem more daunting than it should be. Although some progress has been made, more still needs to be done to eliminate the stigma around mood disorders in the workplace.
Before discussing the stigma that exists in the workplace, mood disorders and stigma need to be defined. According to the DSM-V, mood disorders are characterized as mental illness that disrupts daily emotions, including depressive and bipolar disorders (American Psychiatric Association 2013). Because these mental illnesses can interfere with everyday life, making it difficult to work, which is why many companies are now offering mental health breaks, days, and leaves for their employees. Stigma includes “labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination” based on a specific attribute you possess (Lazowski et al. 2012, p. 1). Some common judgments of people with mood disorders are that they are lazy, snap easily, can’t control their emotions, and are weak. Due to stigma in the workplace, 46.1% of employees in a study cited disagreement that they could “speak openly about their work stress, burnout, feelings or mental health problems” (Hoggs et al. 2022, p. 745). People can express apprehension towards talking about their mental health due to how their colleagues and superiors may judge them afterward. This study also expressed that almost 70% of experts believed managers could not “make adjustments to facilitate job retention or return to work for employees affected by mental illness” (Hoggs et al. 2022, p. 743-744). This lack of support for employees with mood disorders can make it more difficult for them to ask for help. Moreover, about 25% of people were scared to discuss their mental health problems with their workplace due to fears of unemployment and stigmatization (Hoggs et. al. 2022, 745).
What can employers do to reduce this? While many companies offer mental health resources to their employees, destigmatizing mental illness is the crucial/mandatory first step to helping employees feel comfortable putting themselves first. Many studies argue that teaching about mental illness to destigmatize it can help reduce the impact of workplace stigma (Hoggs et al. 2022, p. 745; Lazowski et al. 2012, p. 7; Mastousian and Otto 2023, p. 2). How can anti-stigma programs be implemented? Hoggs and others propose that face-to-face, in-person workshops with mental health experts would be most effective (2022, p. 749). In these workshops, they would discuss topics such as what is mental illness, who is affected by mental illness, and the options available to employees who are struggling with their mental health. This can not only make employees feel more comfortable knowing who to go to for help but also help other employees who may not have mental health problems understand what their colleagues might be going through.
Destigmatizing mental illness and mood disorders is essential, especially in the workplace. Mood disorders can affect motivation, mood, and social interactions, and taking a mental health break without the fear of being judged upon return is very important. People deserve to feel comfortable taking care of themselves, free of stigma. Implementing anti-stigma workshops in the workplace can help destigmatize mental illness and help employees understand the mental health benefits that their employer offers.
References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.978089042559
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Matousian, N., & Otto, K. (2023). How to measure mental illness stigma at work: Development and validation of the Workplace Mental Illness Stigma scale. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1225838
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