There are a number of things that you and your employer can do to help you

It is an unfortunate fact of life that all of us will need at some point to take time away from work because we are ill.

In this respect, mental health difficulties are no different from other physical difficulties.

If it is necessary, then you should accept it and concentrate on returning to being well enough to return.  You should remember that it is not necessary to be one hundred percent well to work.  You need to be well enough to do what you can do.

You should make sure that you remain in contact with your GP and any other medical services that you use, including Community Mental Health Teams. Be aware that many services are moving from the writing of sick notes to certify that you are unwell to writing well notes that try to give an impression of what you can do. This is not becuase they do not take your condition seriously, but becuase they feel that the best thing for people with mental health difficulties is to minimise the time they spend on sick leave.

It may be that while you are unwell and away from the workplace, you and your employer or manager might begin to explore ways to adapt your role (see Reasonable adjustments) to help prevent you becoming ill again.

It is better for you and your employer if you stay in touch with work while you are ill.  This could be anything from a regular scheduled phone call, to a personal visit for a colleague or a manager.  Being kept in the loop will make it easier to return to work when you are feeling better.

When you are feeling better, you and your employer or manager should discuss how best to make your return to work successful and minimise any stresses.

Your employer or manager should have made sure that you would not be returning to work to find a desk full of work or an email inbox that is overflowing with unanswered mails.

Some of the other things that you might consider together are:

•    a phased return to work – perhaps working flexible hours or part-time
•    time off for medical treatment or counselling
•    allocating to another employee some tasks that can no longer be done easily
•    providing practical aids and technical equipment

While it is important that you do not rush back to work, it is also important that you do not spend longer than needed away ill.  You, your employer and medical professionals will be able to work together to make sure that you get the rest that you need and the help you require to get back to work as soon as you a ready.

Remember, no one is ever 100 percent well!  We all have a number of difficulties and challenges from physical ailments to problems with our sight.  For example, think about the number of people in your workplace who wear glasses or contact lenses.

All of those people are less than 100% well, but they are at work and succeeding because they have made adaptations by using optical aids to correct their sight.

A mental health difficulty is no different and shouldn’t prevent you from returning to work as soon as you are able.

Tags: community mental health, mental health difficulties, physical difficulties, reasonable adjustments