May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May is the month where many organizations in North America pay special attention to mental health. In the United States, May has been Mental Health Awareness Month since 1949 — intended to bring attention to mental health problems, and what can be done to diagnose, treat and de-stigmatize them. Canada has a Mental Health Awareness Week that is usually observed the first week of May.
According to The National Alliance on Mental Health Illness, one in 5 people will be affected by a mental health condition in their lifetime, which means that just about everyone is affected or impacted either personally or through their friends, family, and co-workers. Mental Health Research Canada says that 58% of employees are affected by a mental health diagnosis personally or through a close family member. Most employees who received a diagnosis for themselves remain productive, with only 16% reporting significant work impairment. Over half (52%) of Canadians workers have experienced challenges that affected their work, but only 33% disclosed this to their employer.
Each year, about 1,000 construction workers in the US die from on-the-job incidents, according to Industrial Health and Safety News – but more than 5,000 die from suicide and 11,000 from overdoses. Mental Health America and other similar organizations in the US and Canada are working to educate people about habits and behaviors that increase the risk of developing or exacerbating mental illnesses, or could be signs of mental health problems themselves. These include risk factors such as risky sex, prescription drug misuse, internet addiction, excessive spending, marijuana use, and troublesome exercise patterns.
The Canadian Mental Health Association has a fact-sheet that looks at mental health challenges and awareness at work, and one of the things it stresses is the importance of workplace peer support for those who are struggling. Workplace peer support “brings employees together to support one another using their lived and/or shared experiences,” the organization says. It helps people navigate challenges, build connections, and strengthen well-being at work. It’s based on mutual support, trust, and respect. It’s not about fixing problems but about being there for someone when you’ve been there yourself. The focus is on listening, understanding, and connection.
According to the CMHA, stigma remains a barrier to mental-health care, with 60% of people not seeking help for fear of being labelled. Despite growing awareness around mental health, many people continue to mask their struggles due to fear of judgment, discrimination, or social exclusion. Masking is when we hide or suppress emotions, personality traits, behaviours, or symptoms from others. Unmasking, when it’s safe to do so, can help people form deeper connections and boost self-esteem which supports good mental health. By unmasking our own struggles, we give others permission to do the same, fostering a society of connection, understanding and acceptance.
The CMA notes that peer support offers an accessible, everyday layer of support within the workplace, often before challenges reach a point where formal services like an employee assistance program are needed. “This kind of support can help people feel heard sooner, process challenges in real time, and reduce isolation, making it easier to deal with stress and seek additional support when they are needed,” it says. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has a resource guide here with tips on how to recognize and deal with employees who are struggling with mental-health challenges at work.
Employees who are struggling with mental-health challenges are more likely to injure themselves or others while at work, so encouraging a supportive environment and helping employees with their challenges as quickly and effectively as possible can have a significant impact on the number of job-loss or time-loss claims that a workplace experiences. Work-related psychological injuries are also on the rise. These claims can be complex and challenging to manage from a workers’ compensation perspective.
Engaging an organization with expertise in navigating psychological injury claims, such as BCL Consulting, can be instrumental in getting injured workers back on the job as quickly and safely as possible while efficiently containing claims costs. For further assistance dealing with mental-health or psychological injuries in your workplace, you can reach us directly during business hours using our chat feature or by phone, at 1-844-377-9545, by email at [email protected], or you can connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.