The mental in the workplace

If you think mental ill health is a million kilometres from, think again. At least one in every five Nigerian adult has a health problem that isn’t physical or social but mental. It could even be that you didn’t sleep well last night, but that doesn’t mean you are mad, says Dr Frank Odafen, national […]

If you think mental ill health is a million kilometres from, think again.

At least one in every five Nigerian adult has a health problem that isn’t physical or social but mental.

It could even be that you didn’t sleep well last night, but that doesn’t mean you are mad, says Dr Frank Odafen, national president of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN).

Mental health problems cost Nigeria nearly N1b each year in lost manhours.

“If you are not working and you compute it, very many people are receiving salaries without the work being done,” he said at a press briefing to mark World Mental Health Day in Abuja.

It isn’t just Nigeria. Globally, “an estimated 10% of the employed population has taken time off work for depression, and an average of 36 work days are lost when a worker gets depressed,” says World Health Organisation regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti.

“Symptoms such as difficulties in concentrating and making decisions cause significant impairment in productivity at work.”

Half of all people with depression don’t get treatment. In Africa,  lack of information, stigma and cultural issues are significant barriers that prevent people from seeking help.

“Although equal opportunity laws for people with disability in the workplace exist in many countries, mental illness is associated with the greatest disadvantage in terms of employment rates,” says Moeti.

“Social acceptance of people with mental health illnesses has not improved much in the last 20 years.”

One-man businesses have it as easy as anyone else.

“You know when you are not happy. Lock up your shop and go see your doctor,” says Odafen.

But mental health problems come with dealing with ‘shyness and perceptions”.

“Mental, physical and social health are one and the same,” says Odafen.

And that lies at the heart of mental health in the workplace-to get employers to understand their employees’ mental health impacts on the bottomlinel

AGPMPN is looking to have employers of labour set up clinics where employees can get mental health attention as they would any physical infirmity.

Employees would also be required to lend listening ears, same as workers would be willing to speak up about mental health issues, if it affects their productivity.

It will be an “environment to detoxify, to give them enabling environment to function most optimally,” said Odafen.

“When our society comes to terms that mental health is a fact of life, not related to the esoteric, then things will be easy,” said Odafen.

“For self preservation, the onus lies on employers to ensue total wellbeing of employees is guaranteed.”