One in five people admitting to a mental health problem lose their job. Now campaigners are fighting for healthier workplaces where people can speak out When Stuart Crookes* took a job as a mortgage broker in the middle of the property boom he knew he would be under pressure. But after five years of long hours, aggressive bosses and sky-high targets, he found himself in his doctor's surgery admitting he could no longer cope.
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A healthy mind on the job |
He was referred to a psychiatrist, and diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Lithium was prescribed to stabilise his moods. Feeling more able to manage his workload, he decided to be open with his boss about his condition – something he now regrets.
"My manager told me the medication was affecting my performance and said that I should come off it," says Crookes, 48, from Cardiff. "During my manic episodes I was extremely productive, but the lows were unbearable. Even so, I came off the medication because I really needed the job."
His condition worsened and repeated requests to go part-time were refused. Finally, he was fired in 2010, having been told that he was "too much hassle". He is now pursuing a disability discrimination claim and has taken a lower-paid job selling loft insulation.
"I still wonder if I am the way that I am because of what I went through in my last job. My psychiatrist certainly thinks the extreme stress may have played a part," Crookes adds.
His experience is all too common. One in five people who admit to their employer that they have a mental health problem has been fired or pushed out of their job, according to recent research from mental health charity Mind. Almost 80% of workplaces have no formal mental health policy, says the Shaw Trust, a disability charity.
Yet, a quarter of all people will experience mental ill health each year, and one out of six in the workplace is experiencing the problem at any one time, be it depression, anxiety or conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
"All employees are constantly moving up and down the mental health spectrum," says Emma Mamo, Mind's policy and campaigns manager. "We launched our Taking Care of Business campaign last year to talk about the elephant in the room – mental health. The impetus must be put on employers to create mentally healthy workplaces where people can speak out if they are having a problem."
Campaigns such as this, and Time to Change, the anti-stigma initiative backed by charities Rethink and Mind and supported by high-profile figures including Stephen Fry, Ruby Wax and Alastair Campbell, are attempting to demystify mental health. Practical suggestions include offering training to managers to spot early signs of depression in staff, as well as developing recovery plans so bosses can offer proper support.
But many people still suffer in silence for fear of damaging their career progression or losing their job. And some work cultures still nurture negative attitudes towards mental illness, making it much harder to disclose a problem. Two years ago, Time to Change asked individuals in different professions how they would respond to a job candidate who admitted experiencing depression. Astonishingly, doctors were deemed the most likely to be damaged by such an admission, followed by people in the emergency services, then teachers. Financial services was shown to be a markedly unsympathetic industry, with almost half of those in banking admitting that they would discriminate against a recruit with a history of depression.
Dr Neil Brener is a consultant psychiatrist with clients across London, many in the City. "In high-pressured professions, particularly the financial sector and law, it is perceived as weakness to be anything less than healthy," he says. "The secrecy that creates around mental health issues is very damaging. People can, and do, get ill and get better, but many don't have the emotional strength to speak out about their experiences."
Even the "caring professions" do not always get it right. The NHS's own research has found that a quarter of its workforce takes time off due to stress, depression and anxiety. Lawrence Butterfield, a psychiatric nurse who until recently worked for the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, failed to recognise that he was slipping into depression until he was forced to take 11 weeks off in 2004.
Butterfield, 50, from Guisborough, North Yorkshire, admits that those treating mental health conditions are often reluctant to admit to such problems themselves. "I was slowly drowning and, even though colleagues approached me to ask if I was ok, I couldn't see what was happening – until one day I realised I couldn't carry on," he says.
Once the anti-depressants started to take effect, Butterfield was ready to return to his job and he was back full-time three weeks later. "My manager realised it wouldn't be helpful for me to deal with clients with depression at first, so my case load was altered for a time," he adds. "But, overall, she knew, and I know, work is good for your mental health."
Enlightened employers are increasingly recognising the economic argument for tackling the taboo, and helping staff stay in work. The World Health Organisation reckons that mental health conditions cost British employers almost £26bn a year through absence and "sickness presence" – those at work, but not functioning at full capacity.
Stephen Bevan, managing director of the Work Foundation, says: "Half of all mental health absence is directly related to work which, understandably, makes businesses very nervous, since the causes are under their control. There is a growing awareness of the need to be pro-active through things like employee assistance programmes, but more organisations are genuinely recognising the duty of care they have for their employees. There is some very energetic work being done, both in the private and public sectors, to address mental health concerns."
"My manager told me the medication was affecting my performance and said that I should come off it," says Crookes, 48, from Cardiff. "During my manic episodes I was extremely productive, but the lows were unbearable. Even so, I came off the medication because I really needed the job."
His condition worsened and repeated requests to go part-time were refused. Finally, he was fired in 2010, having been told that he was "too much hassle". He is now pursuing a disability discrimination claim and has taken a lower-paid job selling loft insulation.
"I still wonder if I am the way that I am because of what I went through in my last job. My psychiatrist certainly thinks the extreme stress may have played a part," Crookes adds.
His experience is all too common. One in five people who admit to their employer that they have a mental health problem has been fired or pushed out of their job, according to recent research from mental health charity Mind. Almost 80% of workplaces have no formal mental health policy, says the Shaw Trust, a disability charity.
Yet, a quarter of all people will experience mental ill health each year, and one out of six in the workplace is experiencing the problem at any one time, be it depression, anxiety or conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
"All employees are constantly moving up and down the mental health spectrum," says Emma Mamo, Mind's policy and campaigns manager. "We launched our Taking Care of Business campaign last year to talk about the elephant in the room – mental health. The impetus must be put on employers to create mentally healthy workplaces where people can speak out if they are having a problem."
Campaigns such as this, and Time to Change, the anti-stigma initiative backed by charities Rethink and Mind and supported by high-profile figures including Stephen Fry, Ruby Wax and Alastair Campbell, are attempting to demystify mental health. Practical suggestions include offering training to managers to spot early signs of depression in staff, as well as developing recovery plans so bosses can offer proper support.
But many people still suffer in silence for fear of damaging their career progression or losing their job. And some work cultures still nurture negative attitudes towards mental illness, making it much harder to disclose a problem. Two years ago, Time to Change asked individuals in different professions how they would respond to a job candidate who admitted experiencing depression. Astonishingly, doctors were deemed the most likely to be damaged by such an admission, followed by people in the emergency services, then teachers. Financial services was shown to be a markedly unsympathetic industry, with almost half of those in banking admitting that they would discriminate against a recruit with a history of depression.
Dr Neil Brener is a consultant psychiatrist with clients across London, many in the City. "In high-pressured professions, particularly the financial sector and law, it is perceived as weakness to be anything less than healthy," he says. "The secrecy that creates around mental health issues is very damaging. People can, and do, get ill and get better, but many don't have the emotional strength to speak out about their experiences."
Even the "caring professions" do not always get it right. The NHS's own research has found that a quarter of its workforce takes time off due to stress, depression and anxiety. Lawrence Butterfield, a psychiatric nurse who until recently worked for the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, failed to recognise that he was slipping into depression until he was forced to take 11 weeks off in 2004.
Butterfield, 50, from Guisborough, North Yorkshire, admits that those treating mental health conditions are often reluctant to admit to such problems themselves. "I was slowly drowning and, even though colleagues approached me to ask if I was ok, I couldn't see what was happening – until one day I realised I couldn't carry on," he says.
Once the anti-depressants started to take effect, Butterfield was ready to return to his job and he was back full-time three weeks later. "My manager realised it wouldn't be helpful for me to deal with clients with depression at first, so my case load was altered for a time," he adds. "But, overall, she knew, and I know, work is good for your mental health."
Enlightened employers are increasingly recognising the economic argument for tackling the taboo, and helping staff stay in work. The World Health Organisation reckons that mental health conditions cost British employers almost £26bn a year through absence and "sickness presence" – those at work, but not functioning at full capacity.
Stephen Bevan, managing director of the Work Foundation, says: "Half of all mental health absence is directly related to work which, understandably, makes businesses very nervous, since the causes are under their control. There is a growing awareness of the need to be pro-active through things like employee assistance programmes, but more organisations are genuinely recognising the duty of care they have for their employees. There is some very energetic work being done, both in the private and public sectors, to address mental health concerns."
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