Stress And Depression In The Workplace During COVID-19

 Stress and depression in the workplace are very common. Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many are being furloughed or are being made to work from home. This, for some, makes life easier, and for others may add to the stress.

Furlough

Stress and depression in the workplace can be transferred home. Furlough may reduce concern for staff around COVID-19, but it would also be a big change. For some, staying at home will be a much-needed break. For others, it may be a huge change of routine and may affect their mental health negatively. For example, many parents have had to be furloughed so that they can look after their children while the schools are closed. It is not just childcare that’s expected of parents, though. There is also the need to home-school. Most parents are not prepared for this. The UK school curriculum is always changing, so it’s understandable that some parents may find teaching difficult. Although not much can be done about the need to home-school, employers can still check in on their employees to make sure that they’re okay during their furlough. 

Working from home

Those who are able to are now working from home. For many, this means having to rearrange the layout of their home to accommodate for a desk and proper office chair, with work computers. This may be a squeeze for some people. Some may find that they struggle to concentrate at home, after all, it is the place that they may associate with relaxation or the hobbies they do in their own time. This can go both ways, and make it difficult for them to relax properly – even more so if they live in a studio flat, so there is no separation from their workspace and their relaxation space. Employers should regularly check in on employees, to make sure that they’re still getting some relaxation time. It is also worth reassuring employees and being understanding if they’re struggling to be as productive as they may have been in the office. Stress and depression in the workplace can become stress and depression at home.

Unable to stay at home

Some people are unable to work from home and have essential jobs working with the public. It’s important that these people are provided with adequate PPE, and all necessary health and safety measures are put in place. It’s important for everybody to feel and be as safe as possible when they go to work.

 

Mental Health Education – Demand

 Mental Health

Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a demand for more online learning resources. The pandemic has also created a higher demand for mental health support, understandably. Mental health is a very broad topic, and the way mental health problems affect people vary from person to person. In my opinion, there is always more room for educational content on mental health.

Covering Various Topics

There is a lot of educational content on depression and anxiety. I think a lot more awareness is growing in these two areas. Having said that, there is still progress to be made to reduce the stigma in these areas. However, there is a lot less awareness of other mental health problems. There needs to be more mental health education on illnesses like schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Even commonly suffered problems like premenstrual dysphoric disorder could do with some more educational content on the subject.

Why is it important to cover topics other than depression and anxiety?

Although there is a stigma attached to depression and anxiety, there is a lot more awareness around them than other mental illnesses. Film and television still use mental health problems like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder inaccurately to drive narratives, reinforcing the misconceptions around these illnesses.

Incorrect use of mental illnesses in conversation

You may have noticed that some people may describe themselves as, “A bit OCD”, or they may say, “I’m so bipolar today.” This may seem like a harmless comment, but it takes away from the seriousness of the mental illnesses and also reinforces misconceptions. For example, many people think that bipolar disorder just means having a lot of mood swings. While mood swings can be a part of it, they’re not the only symptom. Bipolar Disorder is characterized by episodes of mania and/or hypomania and long periods of depression. People often misunderstand the seriousness of mania and hypomania, thinking of them as just being more energetic and in high spirits. In reality, mania can lead somebody to think that they’re invincible, which can cause an extreme change in behavior. It could lead them to put themselves or others in danger. An example I recently heard was that somebody with bipolar disorder just decided to fly to another country last minute. This is something that somebody in the right mind would plan in advance, take time off of school or work for and make sure they had the right amount of money to do. Doing something like this without any plan or thinking will have consequences.

Conclusion

This post alone shows that you can’t cover all aspects of mental health in a short blog post, which is why I believe mental health education is always and always should be in demand.