Addressing Mental Health — Individually & Collectively

First of all, What is Mental Health?

Mental health is an aspect of health that seeks to balance the psychological well-being of individuals; it can simply be described as the absence of a mental illness. According to World Health Organization (WHO), mental health includes subjective well-being, perceived self efficacy, autonomy, competence and self-actualization of one’s intellectual and emotional potentials among other things. Mental health problems may arise due to stress, loneliness, depression, anxiety, relationship problems, suicidal thoughts, grief, addiction or other mental illness. The term mental illness refers collectively to all diagnosable mental disorders — health conditions characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior associated with distress or impaired functioning. In a 1999 U.K. Surgeon Journal, it was stated that mental health and mental illness are two continuous concepts.

Two facts to highlight for clarification include:

• People with good mental health can also have mental illness.
• People who have no mental illness can also have poor mental health.

In the first instance, those with good mental health have an understanding of their well-being even though they could be at future risk of developing a mental illness from stress or other related circumstance. In the second instance, ignorance could increase the risk of developing mental illness from drug use, vulnerability or life’s challenges, etc.

Secondly, whose responsibility is it?

The health of a nation is the collective responsibility of its citizens. This responsibility is often driven by the government through policies, regulations and control through collaboration from well meaning members of the community. Health is wealth and so a healthy nation will be a wealthy one. Health can be referred to as a state of physical, mental and social well-being. In Nigeria today, the government have multiple programmes to promote physical health but not enough for mental health.

In the absence of government policies, initiatives and efficient mental health infrastructure, what can you do as an individual or as an organization to prioritize your mental health?

Employee Mental Health

Globally, mental illnesses are more common than cancer, diabetes or heart disease. As a required standard, organizations’ health policies are meant to cater for their employees’ mental health concerns just as they do their physical health. The challenge remains as can be broadly tagged, “poor literacy”. As the general working class become more aware and informed about mental health, so too would better understanding and solutions be brought forth.

A WHO report estimates the global cost of mental illness at nearly $2.5 trillion (two-thirds in indirect costs) in 2010, with a projected increase to over $6 trillion by 2030. This financial projection may not reflect the same case for Nigeria but the statistics of youths that meet the criteria for having a mental illness is likely to be higher with a tendency to increase annually by 0.2% nationwide without professional assistance.

The above statistics are not good news for the working class. So, what can be done should your work policy on mental health remain insufficient?

Practical tips to care for your mental health.

These four listed actions are easy activities a busy employee can do to keep the mind alert and active yet aware of shortcomings.

1. Be ready and willing to study and care for yourself.

2. Surround yourself with trusting, supportive and empathetic friends and loved ones.

3. Pay attention to your diet, take part in exercise, participate in social activities, practice good sleep hygiene and mindfulness.

4. In line with being ready and willing to study and care for yourself, do not hesitate to seek professional help when you find yourself struggling emotionally and psychologically.

PAT Consulting Nigeria