Mental illness affects one in five people, regardless of background, age group, level of education or professional experience. Stress has an adverse affect on health conditions, including mental illness; therefore a supportive and aware workplace can ensure better health for everyone. Many health conditions such as HIV, intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities; and mental illness are stigmatised, adding additional stress to the lives of those who experience such conditions.
What is mental illness?
Mental illness presents with symptoms that affect the way a person thinks, feels and acts. If treated, mental illness can be successfully managed and people can live full and productive lives. Mental illness is a class of conditions that includes depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety and personality disorders.
For information about specific mental illnesses you can search the Workplace Adjustment Tool.
For more information on specific mental illnesses see 'Related Links'.
What causes it?
The exact cause of mental illness is rarely understood. However, it is generally accepted that a combination of biological and environmental factors create a vulnerability for some people that results in mental illness developing. People may develop symptoms in response to stress, trauma, social change, drugs or alcohol.
Incidence in the workplace
Depression and anxiety are the most common mental illnesses in the workplace. Often people will give up their job due to difficulties in coping with their illness, without employers having any awareness of their condition. Research suggests that each person experiencing depression takes three to four days off work per month as a direct result of that condition. Lost productivity then becomes a significant issue for individual employers. Australian workplaces, as a whole, lose over six million working days a year as sick leave due to mental illness.
Aren’t people with mental illness at risk in the workplace?
No. In fact people who have a mental illness are more likely to be aware of their limitations and needs, and less likely to have workplace accidents or over-stretch themselves than other employees. The community is comprised of a diverse range of people who have various limitations. It doesn’t mean a person is less skilled at their job or less committed. A supportive and aware workplace will foster loyalty, and this is essential in a changing labour market where it is becoming harder to find, and keep, the best person in the job.
What can I do, as an employer?
There are excellent resources available to assist you and your staff to understand mental illness. Using them will better equip your workplace to support people experiencing symptoms of mental illness.
The Mental Health Works resource was produced by Queensland Alliance of Mental Illness and Psychiatric Disability Groups and Worklink Employment Support Group Inc. It is particularly targetted to employers and Disability Employment Services and is available in the related links.
The JobAccess Workplace Adjustment Tool that can help you to better accommodate and support people who have a mental illness in your work place.
For a fee, beyondBlue will provide an education program about the appropriate management of depression in a workplace setting as well as a comprehensive range of fact sheets, visit the beyondBlue web site—see 'Related Links'.
Mental health first aid courses can give you and your staff a greater understanding of mental illness and how workplaces and the wider community can better support people with mental illness. For further information about these courses visit the Mental Health First Aid web site (link will open in a new window):
More suggestions for a mentally healthy work environment include the use of: