Thank you for question. We break down mental health problems accordingly:
Stress
A useful definition of stress is provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE): “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them.”
People can also experience stress when too few demands are made on them. People can feel stressed when they are bored, under-valued or under-stimulated. Stress can also be caused by factors at work and at home, with the latter being the more frequent cause.
In any one person the effect of pressure will be modulated by a variety of factors including support systems at home and work, personality and coping mechanisms.
What may be too much pressure for one person at a specific time may not be for another or even that same person at a different time.
This resource focuses more on ‘mental health problems’ than ‘stress’. If you want more advice and help on managing stress in employees, including using the Management Standards to tackle stress, see the HSE website: www.hse.gov.uk/stress
The Management Standards use a risk assessment process to identify the extent and causes of employees’ stress within an organisation, and by working with employees, to identify interventions to prevent and manage their stress more effectively.
Mental health problems
In practice, it can be hard to distinguish when ‘stress’ turns into a ‘mental health problem’ and when existing mental health problems become exaggerated by stress at work.
The most common forms of clinically diagnosed mental health problems are depression and anxiety. Many of the symptoms are similar to those that people experience when they are under considerable pressure e.g. sleepless nights, loss of or increased appetite, increased used of alcohol, etc.; the key differences are in the severity and duration of the symptoms and the impact they have on someone’s everyday life.
Usually a general practitioner (GP) will be involved in diagnosis and in offering treatment in the form of medication or talking therapies or a combination of the two.
More severe illnesses
It is important to remember that only 1 in 100 people experience the more severe illnesses. Those who do will have regular contact from their medical, social or other support network and an agreed plan should their condition deteriorate (this is often referred to as a care plan or Care Programme Approach CPA). Evidence shows that employment can be of great benefit, both to the employer and to the employee.
The vast majority of people with mental health problems are treated by their GP and most of these people are capable of continuing to work productively.
This resource has two key messages:
Focus on mental well-being. A holistic approach to promoting the mental and physical well-being of your staff will repay your investment many times over in terms of productivity, morale and creativity. By presenting the issue in terms of well-being you are also much more likely to overcome barriers around stigma and to achieve buy-in from staff.
engage with people. Dwelling on definitions and diagnoses is unlikely to be helpful as, too often, a diagnostic ‘label’ leads to preconceptions of what a person can – or cannot – do. The most productive approach is to talk to the person, get a clear understanding of what they can do, rather than what they can’t do and so understand problems or issues and work on the basis of the person’s capabilities
What the law says
The main areas of legislation that relate to mental well-being in the workplace are:
- The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASWA).
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 (DDA).
- Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA).
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999).
It is beyond the scope of this document to discuss the provisions of this legislation. However key points to bear in mind are that disability is defined by the DDA as: ‘A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
In respect of people with mental health problems, employers should be aware that a person may be disabled even when this is not obvious. The assessment of whether someone is legally disabled is done after discounting the beneficial effect of any treatment they are undergoing.
