The WHO constitution states: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” An important implication of this definition is that mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities.
- Mental health is an integral part of health; indeed, there is no health without mental health.
- Mental health is determined by a range of socioeconomic, biological and environmental factors.
- Mental health is an integral and essential component of health.
- Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
- Mental health is fundamental to our collective and individual ability as humans to think, emote, interact with each other, earn a living and enjoy life. On this basis, the promotion, protection and restoration of mental health can be regarded as a vital concern of individuals, communities and societies throughout the world.
Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities are essential components of any health programme. In the context of mental health, the need for IEC activity is exemplified by low mental health literacy, prevailing stigma, availability and utilisation of services and all these have an adverse effect on health seeking behaviour for mental health problems. Mental health services and systems in most parts of the world are far from satisfactory and India is no exception. Despite years of research and a continued focus to improve health systems, changes seen in the mental health field are few and limited.
As per the NationalMental Health Survey of India, 2015-16 MOHFW India,
- The overall weighted prevalence for any mental morbidity was 13.7% lifetime and 10.6% current.
- Treatment gap for mental disorders ranged between 70 to 92% for different disorders.
- An estimated 150 million persons are in need of mental health interventions and care (both short term and long term) and considering the far reaching impact of mental health (on all domains of life), in all populations (from children to elderly), in both genders, as well as in urban and rural populations, urgent actions are required.
- Considering the burden among children and adolescents (not included in this survey), thousands more are in need of care.
- India spends less than 1% of its total health budget on mental health.
- India also faces a severe shortage of mental health professionals, with only 0.3 psychiatrists per 100,000 population and with most of them concentrated in the Southern and Western regions of the country. Preventive / promotive programmes and rehabilitation services are still far from satisfactory.
In the workplace, mental health issues can affect one in every six employees. Therefore, many companies are taking positive action to support staff by training them in mental health first aid (MHFA). MHFA is the support provided to a person experiencing symptoms of mental ill-health. It’s also the name for the training that teaches people how to provide initial support until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis is resolved. MHFA also teaches people to recognise signs of poor mental health in the early stages and ways to try to prevent issues from developing.
Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health First Aid is extremely important in the work environment, with as many as 14.7% of employees experiencing a mental health issue in the workplace. Because of this, employers can benefit hugely from training their staff in Mental Health First Aid. By implementing MHFA training in the workplace, an employer can make a difference to their employees’ lives and make sure they reach their full potential in both productivity and engagement at work.
Mental health first aid has numerous benefits in the workplace, such as enabling employees to be aware of mental health issues and know how to act in order to best help themselves and their colleagues. It can also mean reduced absenteeism, improved productivity and better morale within the workplace.
Mental health first aid is:
- spotting the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues
- providing non-judgemental support and reassurance
- guiding a person to seek professional support.
Comprehensive mental health care includes not only management of affected persons with drugs and/or admissions, but includesdeveloping programmes that are based on access to care, rights and equity issues aiming at universal coverage of populations. It should also include promotion, targeted programmes, continuity in care, rehabilitation of affected individuals and families, protecting individual rights, ensuring social and economic protection and all these with availability, accessibility and affordability. MHFA can promote mental health through several methods focussing on strengthening resilience, coping abilities, stress reduction, family support systems and community participation.
Mental Health at Work Place
In the workplace, there is still a great deal of ignorance around mental health issues. Many people are uncertain about how to recognise mental illness, and unsure about how to react when faced with it. The might also unwittingly exhibit stigmatising behaviours and attitudes. This means that those in need of mental health help and support do not receive it. By becoming more informed and aware, managers and employees will be able to more easily spot the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and provide the right support. Someone with poor mental health may not realise it. Even if they do, they may be reluctant to seek help, or might not know where to turn for care. For an employee experiencing a mental health issue, organisation’s informed and supportive response is likely to lead to a much more beneficial outcome.
Organisations should consider having adequate number of Mental Health First Aiders to cover for period of absence or multiple location. Have a clear and well – communicated mental health wellbeing policy. Encourage all employees to maintain a healthy workplace through mental health awareness training or resources.
- ensuring that their health and safety risk assessments consider not just physical health and risks, but also mental health and risks
- managing and mitigating the risks of harm in the workplace and having ways to support people with mental health issues
- treating mental health in a similar way to physical health. For example, by having as many first aiders for mental health as for physical health.
Strengthening Health System is everybody’s business.
