MENTAL
HEALTH IN
THE
WORKPLACE
APSARY R. DIAMLA, MA, RPsy
Clinical Psychologist
OUTLINE OF THE
PRESENTATION:
• Mental Health Facts, Myths, and Statistics
• Mental Wellness & Mental Illness
• Mental Health and Job Stress
• Mental Health Issue and Its Impact
• Workplace Health Promotion
WHY IS
MENTAL
HEALTH AS
IMPORTANT AS
PHYSICAL
HEALTH?
MENTAL
HEALTH
MYTHS AND
FACTS
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
DON’T AFFECT ME
MENTAL HEALTH
• Globally, an estimated 972
FACT
-BY THE NUMBER- million people lived with
mental health disorder.
• Mental Illnesses is the 3rd
most common morbidity for
Filipinos
• 88 cases of Mental Health
problems for every 100,000
Filipinos
Children Don’t Experience
Mental Health Problems
• 10-15% Filipino
Children experience
Psychiatric Disorder
• 7-20% Filipino Adults
experience
Psychiatric Disorder
People With Mental Health
Problems Are Violent And
Unpredictable
MENTAL HEALTH
FACT • Only 3%–5% of violent acts
-BY THE NUMBER-
can be attributed to
individuals living with a
serious mental illness.
• They are over 10 times more
likely to be victims of violent
crime than the general
population.
People with mental health
needs, even those who are
managing their mental illness,
cannot tolerate the stress of
holding down a job.
• A study conducted among
government employees in
Metro Manila revealed
that 32% out of 327
respondents have
experienced a mental
health problem in their
lifetime (DOH 2006).
Personality Weakness Or
Character Flaws Cause Mental
Health Problems. People With
Mental Health Problems Can
Snap Out Of It If They Try Hard
Enough
MENTAL HEALTH • Mental health problems have
FACT
-BY THE NUMBER- nothing to do with being lazy or
weak and many people need
help to get better. Many factors
contribute to mental health
problems, including: Biological
factors, Life experiences, and
Family history of mental health
problems.
There Is No Hope For People
With Mental Health
Problems. Once A Friend Or
Family Member Develops
Mental Health Problems, He
Or She Will Never Recover.
• The general or average
effects of psychotherapy are
widely accepted to be
significant and large,
(Chorpita et al., 2011;
Smith, Glass, & Miller,
1980; Wampold, 2001).
Therapy And Self-help Are A
Waste Of Time. Why Bother
When You Can Just Take A
Pill?
MENTAL HEALTH IN • Generally, there is beneficial
THE PHILIPPINES effects for psychotherapy in
-BY THE NUMBER-
comparison to no treatment,
confirming the efficacy of
psychotherapy across diverse
conditions and settings (Beutler,
2009; Lambert & Ogles, 2004;
McMain & Pos, 2007; Shedler,
2010; Thomas & Zimmer-
Gembeck, 2007; Wampold, 2001).
I Can’t Do Anything For A
Person With A Mental Health
Problem.
• Friends and loved ones can
make a big difference. Only
44% of adults with
diagnosable mental health
problems and less than
20% of children and
adolescents receive needed
treatment.
Prevention Doesn’t Work. It Is
Impossible To Prevent Mental
Illnesses.
MENTAL HEALTH
FACT • Prevention of mental, emotional,
-BY THE NUMBER-
and behavioral disorders focuses
on addressing known risk factors
such as exposure to trauma that
can affect the chances that
children, youth, and young adults
will develop mental health
problems
STIGMA
STEREOTYPE
DISCRIMINATI
ON
A 22-year-old woman, a government employee reports
waking in the middle of the night with a pounding heart, hot
flushes, smothering sensations, and intense nausea. The
attack came suddenly and unexpectedly, was not in reaction
to a nightmare, and the symptoms subsided within a few
minutes. Over the last few months, she is feeling more
anxious and has experienced similar episodes each week at
varying levels of intensity. She is worried that she might be
on the verge of a "nervous breakdown" and admits to being
overly aware of her "fast breathing and heart rate. Past
medical history is unremarkable. Cardiac testing during both
admissions is normal.
WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines
mental health as:
A state of complete physical, mental,
and social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease of infirmity.
ELEMENTS OF MENTAL HEALTH
MENTAL
WELLNESS
MENTAL
ILLNESS
DISORDER
THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL
MODEL
OF MENTAL HEALTH
Common Mental Health
Problem
POST-
Schizoph Substance
TRAUMATIC Depression
DISORDER renia Use
MENTAL HEALTH IN
THE PHILIPPINES • Suicide in Males increased from
-BY THE NUMBER- 0.23 to 3.59% per 100,000 between
1984 to 2005
• Suicide in Females increased from
0.12 to 1.09% per 100,000 between
1984 to 2005
• 2558 of Filipinos committed
suicide in 2012 according to WHO
MENTAL
HEALTH
AND
JOB STRESS
WHAT IS STRESS?
It is an elevation in a person’s state of
arousal or readiness, caused by some
stimulus or demand.
Within manageable levels, stress can
help sharpen our attention and
mobilize our bodies to cope with
threatening situations.
MENTALLY EMOTIONALLY
WHAT’S IN HOW ARE YOU
YOUR MIND FEELING?
HOW ARE
YOU Lack of
AFFECTED? concentration, Anxious, angry,
mental sad, easily
exhaustion, poor distracted, edgy,
decision making unappreciated
PHYSICALLY BEHAVIOURALLY
ANY UNUSUAL WHAT BEHAVIOUR
PHYSICAL or ACTIONS
HOW ARE DISCOMFORT YOU ARE YOU SHOWING?
FEEL?
YOU
Headache, back pain, Staring blankly, not talking
AFFECTED? abdominal discomfort, to friends, crying, deep
palpitations, shortness sighing, isolating/wanting
of breath, tremors, to be alone
clumsiness, profuse
sweating
SPIRITUALLY
WHAT HAS CHANGED
IN YOUR
HOW ARE SPIRITUALITY?
YOU I pray more
I lost hope
AFFECTED? I doubt God
I feel encouraged
I feel hopeless
Poor Mental Health And
Negative Stress Can
Negatively Affect
Employee
JOB PERFORMANCE AND
PRODUTIVITY
ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE’S
WORK
COMMUNICATION WITH
COWORKERS
PHYSICAL CAPABILITY AND
DAILY FUNCTIONING
BIOLOGICAL
• Exercise
• Healthy Diet
WAYS TO • Enough Sleep
COPE • Take Prescribed
Medications/Vitamins
/Supplements
PSYCHOLOGICAL
• Manage thoughts,
feelings, and
WAYS TO behavior
COPE • Breathing exercises
• Journal writing
• Mindfulness based
practices
SOCIAL
• Reach out to people
• Engage in enjoyable
WAYS TO activities
COPE • Starting new hobby
• Seek encouragement
from networks of
support system
Workplace
Health
Promotion
Employers can be agents of change in the workplace
• Be aware of mental health issues
• Modify workplace risk factors for stress
• Develop an organizational climate that promotes
wellbeing and creativity
• Facilitate access to healthcare for employees who may
need it
• Be understanding and flexible to the needs of
employees, understanding their personal situations
Combat stigma and encourage open discussion in the
workplace on mental health
What employers can do?
Early Recognition
+
Better
=
Intervention
Management and
+
Overall Well-
Treatment Being
+
Support
• UNODC. World Drug Report 2018 (United Nations publication, Sales No.
E.18.XI.9)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data table for Figure 16. Health care
visits in the past 12 months among children aged 2-17 and adults aged 18 and
over, by age and provider type: United States, 1997, 2006, and 2015.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2016/fig16.pdf pdf icon[PDF – 898 KB].
• American Psychological Association. Stress in America: Coping with Change,
Part 1. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 2017.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental
Health. (2017). Mental illness. Retrieved from
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml
• Adapted from Mancuso, L. L. (1990). Reasonable accommodations for workers
with psychiatric disabilities. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, 14(2), 3-19.
• WHO (2001). The world health report 2001. Mental health: New understanding.
New hope. Geneva, World Health Organization.
• DOH (2018). Mental Health Program Data. https://www.doh.gov.ph/national-
mental-health-program
BE WELL.
WORK WELL
THANK
YOU!
