Reflections on Mental Health Awareness Week - How far we’ve come and how far we still need to go

I’ve been participating in a number of events this week to support my fellow colleagues and peers, continue my own learning and development, and generally advocate for more awareness of mental health in my social networks and community.  I have to say that I’m feeling mixed emotions about where we are and where we are heading when it comes to mental health.  

Here are my personal reflections on the good and not-so-good reality of mental health in 2024.

The good:

•  Increasing public awareness:  It’s now commonplace to see awareness campaigns promoted on TV and through social media, to have mental health training programs offered in schools and workplaces, or to hear celebrities and public figures open up about their own mental health challenges.  These collective efforts have raised our attention, improved mental health literacy and helped reduce stigma around mental ill health.

• A huge rise in mental health research.  A quick search of medical and psychological databases reveals that over 500,000 academic articles have been published on mental health since 2000.  To put that into context, there were just over 60,000 articles published on mental health in the 150 years prior.  This clearly reflects a growing research interest and a desire to understand the mechanisms that drive positive mental health outcomes.

• More therapeutic options available than ever before.  With greater research and awareness comes more therapeutic interventions to support prevention, mitigation and recovery.  New interventions are challenging traditional medical approaches with a greater emphasis on the mind-body connection, meditation and spiritual practices, exercise, coaching, social connectedness, and even psychedelics.   

• More public health policies targeting mental health.  The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations, the European Commission and virtually every other country across the globe now has a written mental health policy or strategy.  Enforceable and actionable policy, along with advocacy and awareness, is making its way into governmental directives, giving mental health practitioners the guidance they need to plan, implement and measure program effectiveness.

• A lot of great people doing a lot of great things.  There are thousands of mental health agencies, NGOs, funders, not-for-profit organizations and community groups around the world working tirelessly to raise awareness, build advocacy networks, share ideas, innovate and collaborate on how best to address mental health and support those in crisis.  With so much creativity, passion and commitment to service, there is no lack of amazing resources and thought going into the future of mental health care.    

• An increasing emphasis on positive mental health.  An expanding dialog around good mental health is working its way into every day conversations.  We now talk more openly about the benefits of self-care, movement and exercise, meditation, building positive social support networks and taking mental health breaks.  Just as we need to look after our physical health, we also need to look after our cognitive, mental and emotional health by creating good habits and recognizing the link between our body and mind.

The not-so-good:

• A significant rise in reported mental health issues.  The WHO recently published statistics that showed a 13% increase in reported mental health disorders over the past 10 years.  Now add to that the millions of unrecognized and unreported mental health issues that don’t make the statistics and you can start to imagine the size of the challenge we are facing, and will continue to face.  This increase makes it all the more critical that we design integrated mental health solutions across our organizations and communities.    

• Stigma remains a major barrier to seeking help.  Public stigma, structural stigma and self-stigma continue to perpetuate due to a lack of understanding, fear, diverse cultural norms, and inaccurate or misleading information about mental health.   When stigma pervades, symptoms of mental ill health can worsen and one’s likelihood of seeking help declines.  Breaking the barrier of stigma requires open, non-judgmental conversations, educating ourselves and others, being conscious of the language we choose, and encouraging equal treatment and practices for physical and mental health.

• Families still carry the bulk of the care burden for those suffering with mental ill health.  A wide-spread lack of professional mental health resources and long wait times for consultation mean that the whole family is affected by a loved one’s mental ill health, bringing about a complex set of emotional, physical, financial and social burdens that can have long-lasting family impacts.  Furthermore, those suffering with mental ill health may feel ashamed to call on family for support which can delay treatment or prolong their recovery times.

• Employers could do a lot more to support mental health.  A 2023 HR survey revealed that only 20% of employers had made changes to their policies to support good mental health in the workplace.  Along with limited policy change, employers are often not realistic about the state of their employee’s mental health.  Employers frequently view mental health issues as something ‘we don’t have a problem with’ or ‘it’s not our problem to solve’, instead of recognizing that their organizational practices could be directly leading to stress, burnout, anxiety, depression and other mental ill health.

• A lack of unified care pathways between medical professionals and other mental health practitioners.  In most instances primary care doctors or psychiatrists are the first line of support in a mental health crisis.  But when referring patients to secondary services, they are often unaware of the wide range of providers beyond the medical arena.  We could do a great deal more to build care networks to connect patients to activities, groups and services in their community and to alternative providers of mental health services.

• A lack of national funding and poor reimbursement rates for mental health services.  A 2020 Financing of Mental Health Report indicated the global median of public spending on mental health was just 2% of government health expenditure.  This lack of funding means that in most cases mental health services must to be covered by self-pay or private insurance.  When insurance providers do reimburse services, they often do so at rates that are lower than for physical health treatment.  Poor funding and low reimbursement impacts both the provider and patient, leading to low pay and high attrition at the provider level and reluctance to seek treatment due to the high personal costs of care at the patient level.

So, as I reflect on the good and the not-so-good this week, I can say that I am deeply grateful for how far we’ve come in bringing mental health to the forefront and for those who work each day to make a meaningful difference in the field.  Yet, I am also deeply concerned by the giant obstacles we face in being able to offer accessible, affordable, high-quality care to those most in need. 

As a mental health consultant, coach and advocate, I fully appreciate that there is a long road ahead, but I am also reminded that even with a few bumps in the road, together we can do some pretty amazing things.  Small steps towards big change that’s my take-away from Mental Health Awareness Week 2024.

Does Big Data Have a Role to Play in Workplace Well-being?

According to a recent industry survey, 78% of organizations stated they are currently offering mental health support services to their employees.  However, only 27% of these organizations knew which services were most utilized and effective, and less than 18% actually measured program success. 

Whilst I’m pleased to see the increased awareness and desire to support mental health at work, I am also disheartened by the lack of metrics and insights being used that could help to drive more constructive approaches to workplace well-being. 

Using big data in business is now commonplace, helping organizations to better understand their clients, products and competitors, for example.  Yet, relatively little emphasis has been placed on using big data to understand workplace behaviors, processes and practices that may lead to high levels of stress and mental ill health.

How might workplace well-being benefit from using big data?

• Identifying Trends and Patterns:  By using big data to analyze employee feedback, satisfaction surveys, occupational health metrics, and productivity data, employers can uncover insights into what factors may be contributing to workplace well-being or detracting from it.

• Customizing Programs:  By analyzing data on factors such as work habits, communication patterns, and stress levels, organizations can tailor mental health programs and resources to better meet the unique needs of their employee base. 

• Measuring Program Impact:  By analyzing data before and after the implementation of well-being programs, organizations can assess whether these initiatives are achieving their desired outcomes and make adjustments as needed.

• Measuring Return on Investment:  By using big data to analyze the utilization and take up rates of well-being programs alongside of their impact, employers can assess cost to benefit ratios and make informed decisions on where best to invest corporate dollars.

• Providing Predictive Analytics:  By analyzing historical data, organizations can develop predictive models to anticipate when employees may be at risk of burnout, stress, or other well-being concerns.  This means that proactive measures can be implemented to address these issues before they escalate further.

Organizations that really understand this data, openly communicate it, and build it into their leadership metrics can greatly increase employee trust and loyalty, attract new talent and stay ahead of regulatory reporting requirements.  

According to insights gathered in 2023 by Deloitte and Workplace Intelligence, 85% of executives believed their organizations should have to report workplace well-being metrics and that the evolution of ESG reporting may accelerate this requirement.  More than 8 in 10 executives also believed they would need to be more responsible for their employee’s mental well-being over the next few years, with 72% of those surveyed saying that executive compensation should be directly correlated with employee well-being metrics.

But where do you start when it comes to all these metrics? 

One effective way to start leveraging big data is by creating an impact assessment of your organizational mental health risks.  This provides an opportunity to gather existing data on working conditions, policies and governance, workplace practices and procedures, employee satisfaction, staff turnover, etc., and use them to generate a clearer picture of what might be leading to better, or worse, mental health at work.  From this data, a baseline risk profile can be generated and used to design customized mental health programs with your organization’s specific needs in mind. 

As my favorite MBA professor always said, “get the data first and let the data tell you where to go next”.  A poignant reminder of how we can use metrics to help us make sense of the current well-being landscape and uncover those blind spots that might be leading to mental ill health.   

A note of caution of course that, as with any data driven initiative, data privacy and ethical considerations must be prioritized, ensuring any sensitive employee information is handled confidentially, responsibly and in accordance with local regulations.  With these safeguards in place, I believe big data can provide valuable insights in which to design, track and measure mental health programs and that, armed with these insights, organizations will have a much better chance at successfully implementing programs that are thoughtful and far more meaningful to their employees.    

If you’d like to know more about whether an impact assessment could be a good starting point for your business, please reach out. 

If You Want a Mentally Healthy Workforce, Start with the Three Ts: Time, Trust and Ties

Do you remember those carefree childhood days hanging out with your friends, playing ball, climbing trees or laughing over some secret only you and your buddies knew?  What was it about those moments that made you feel happy, fulfilled and that you belonged? 

Research tells us that those early experiences, along with thousands more over the lifespan, reflect our core human need for time, trust and ties – what I like to refer to as the three Ts. 

The Three Ts:

• Time refers to our ability to decide on what we do and when we do it, including how much flexibility and predictability we have in our activities

• Trust encompasses our belief that something, or someone, is reliable, honest and will not harm us 

• Ties are our shared sense of togetherness and meaningful connections that makes us want to do things for, and with, one another 

When we have all three, we’re truly firing on all cylinders because we’re coming from a place of safety, support and control.  As a kid, those first connections with friends ran deep and gave us the courage to do all sorts of well, probably crazy things, yet they strengthened our values and provided a key point of reference for our future relationships.

Now fast forward to working life where we might have experienced fierce competition amongst co-workers, unfair or unjust work practices, unsustainable workloads, siloed processes or lack of support from others.  Pretty different feeling, right?  When our workplaces aren’t designed around time, trust and ties our natural response is to get stressed, to not perform at our best, to retreat from others, or to lash out.  We’re human.  We respond to our surroundings and stimuli in a way that is deeply connected to our needs, emotions and values.  It’s therefore no surprise that the interactions we have within our work surroundings play a key role in how mentally fit and well we are as employees.

Organizations that deliberately focus on the three Ts, and understand how they play in to employee engagement and workplace well-being, can cultivate a mentally healthier and more productive workplace. 

Here's what this means in practice:

·       Give employees more control over their time.  This might mean agreeing meeting schedules or deadlines far enough in advance so there’s predictability in both engagement and output.  It also might mean adding more flexibility to work processes and sharing workloads so employees feel there’s back up and support for key deliverables.  Lastly, allow employees the autonomy to choose working times that are adapted to them.  Not everyone can adhere to a 9 to 5.  As long as the work is getting done well, give employees the freedom to work around their family and personal activities.

·       Elevate trust as a core outcome not a core value.  Sure, we all want to work for organizations built on trust and integrity, but trust can’t just be reflected in corporate values or a mission statement, it needs to be an outcome of shared work practices and behaviors.  Remember those childhood friends, you hung out with them because they didn’t let you down.  Your repeated positive interactions with them built a firm foundation for safety and trust.  In the same way, organizations need to create the right conditions for employees to interact with trust in one another and in management.  This might mean boldly ensuring that employees are protected from harm including illness, injury, discrimination, bullying and harassment and that they feel secure in their organization’s future.  Remember that trust starts with open and honest communication of both the good and the bad.  Employees can see through the BS so be clear and concrete with your organizational level communications.

·       Foster connection and community at all levels of the organization.  This might mean providing workplace programs that offer opportunities for meaningful social interaction.  After-work drinks are great for networking, but meaningful programs develop collective social support and foster a deeper sense of belonging.  Consider offering programs where employees can share experiences, provide peer-support, give back to their community or feel more accepted as a member of the organization.  Encourage leadership to engage in these activities too and to set good examples by developing deeper ties and positive connections across the organization.  

Better mental health in the workplace requires a back-to-basics approach where employees feel secure, supported and more in control.  Well-being apps, yoga lunches and resilience training are all great, but they place too much emphasis on the employee to ‘fix’ their own mental health.  Organizations that instead go back to the fundamentals and put the three Ts at the center of their processes, measures and performance have happier, more engaged employees across the board.  These employees give more of themselves because they want to, not because they are expected to.  Time, trust and ties worked when we were kids and can be the secret to mentally healthy workplaces today.  

Is your organization living the three Ts? 

Let Greater Good help you to discover more and build a mentally healthy workplace.

The Power of Compassionate Communication: Building Bridges of Understanding in a World of Words

The way we express ourselves has a profound impact on the quality of our relationships and social interactions.  Yet in today’s digital age, we often fall victim to poor communication that is overly short, cryptic, misinterpreted and misunderstood.  Poor communication can lead to a lack of trust, personal disagreements, task errors and disengagement with others.  One powerful tool that can help to improve our day-to-day interactions and lead to more meaningful connections is compassionate communication.

What is Compassionate Communication?

Compassionate communication fosters mutual understanding, empathy and non-judgmental dialog between individuals. It is based on three key principles: 

Acknowledging Feelings and Needs

At the heart of compassionate communication is the ability to recognize and validate emotions, both our own and those of others. Rather than dismissing or minimizing one’s feelings or needs, compassionate communication involves actively naming, acknowledging and respecting the emotional experiences of each individual.

Listening Without Judgement

Compassionate communication thrives on attentive listening.  This means being fully present and truly understanding both the spoken and unspoken messages being conveyed. It also means that in our conversations we learn to observe without evaluating, and to abstain from judgment or interruption in order to cultivate deeper understanding and mutual respect.

Recognizing Alternative Perspectives

Empathy is the cornerstone of compassionate communication. It involves stepping into someone else's shoes, experiencing the world from their perspective, and showing a genuine interest in their feelings and concerns. An empathetic approach builds trust and strengthens interpersonal bonds.

What are the Benefits of Compassionate Communication?

Incorporating compassionate communication into our personal and professional interactions offers significant benefits at an individual and relational level, creating a ripple effect to those around us.

Resolving Conflicts

Compassionate communication is a powerful tool in resolving conflicts by encouraging open and respectful dialog.  Instead of assigning blame, compassionate communication emphasizes the perspectives of all parties involved and encourages interactions where individuals feel heard and understood.  When conflicts are approached with empathy, tension reduces and collaborative problem-solving can begin.

Strengthening Relationships

Building and maintaining healthy relationships requires effective communication. Compassion cultivates an atmosphere of trust and respect, laying the foundation for strong and more enduring connections with friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers.  When we approach conversations in a non-judgmental way, we create a safe space where collaboration and common goals can be achieved.

Fostering Inclusivity

Compassionate communication promotes inclusivity by recognizing and honoring diverse perspectives. It creates a space where individuals from different backgrounds feel valued and heard, fostering a sense of belonging and community.  Compassionate communication transcends differences, providing a universal language based on mutual respect and non-judgmental dialog.

Improving Mental and Emotional Well-being

Engaging in compassionate communication contributes to the well-being of both the communicator and the recipient. By expressing emotions and thoughts openly and without fear of judgment, individuals can experience a sense of relief and emotional release.  Compassionate communication naturally facilitates supportive and nurturing environments that benefit our overall mental and emotional health.

In a world that races towards efficiency, compassionate communication serves as a timeless reminder of the profound impact our words can have. By incorporating empathy, attentive listening, and a genuine acknowledgment of emotions into our everyday interactions, we can bring about a more compassionate, connected, and understanding society.

It’s Us Against the Problem: Why Better Mental Health Requires a Collective Effort

Research highlights that improved mental health outcomes are best achieved through collective efforts and collaboration at an organizational, community or societal level.  Yet, 95% of mental health programs only focus on individual interventions. This highlights a historically individualized approach to mental well-being, and an expectation that mental health should be self-managed and dealt with as a personal matter.  Failing to acknowledge external factors, and the wider macro environment, as both enablers and obstacles to mental health, can limit the effectiveness and sustainability of even the most well-intentioned program.

Here's what we all can do to achieve better mental health together:

• Offer community and organizational support that assists and uplifts individuals who may be struggling with mental health issues.  This could involve creating a stigma-free and empathetic environment where people feel comfortable to speak up and seek help.

• If you have experienced a mental health challenge, lend your voice and encourage others to support and connect with one another.  Peer support can be a powerful tool in recovery and resilience.

• Be there for your loved ones.  Friends and family play a crucial role in supporting our mental health by offering us safety and security.  As a family member or friend, offer a listening ear, and a place for open conversation free of judgment or advice.

• Advocate for improved access to mental health services and resources in your organization or community.  This might include forming groups to work together to address barriers to care and identify risks to mental health.

• Foster an environment where mental health is promoted and valued in workplaces, schools, and other community settings. This might mean creating new policies and practices that prioritize mental well-being.

• Continue to raise awareness about mental health issues, reducing stigma so that individuals are more likely to seek help and support when needed.  This might include developing awareness campaigns to spotlight mental health risks and prevention.

• Participate in mental health training to better address challenges and provide support to those facing acute mental health crises.  Be proactive in sharing your knowledge with others.

All of these activities underscore the importance of unity and shared responsibility in promoting better mental health. 

A mental health crisis can be incredibly lonely and debilitating.  If we continue to treat mental well-being as an individual’s problem, we perpetuate a cycle of inadequate care and add to the social isolation and stigma that individuals already experience during times of poor mental health.  Instead, let’s work together to provide more supportive, collaborative and understanding environments, acknowledging that we all can be part of the solution in our own unique way.