Coming hot-on-the heels of the World Mental Health Day, I want to lend my voice to the issue of mental well-being as it’s such a critical issue that has become rampant and is impacting society and businesses alike. It’s also a less understood issue until one experiences it so, I take this opportunity to join other authorities to create awareness in the hope that it will help someone or change someone’s perception.
First, we need to appreciate that we all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Even the fittest people can get physically unwell, and our health can vary day-to-day: the same applies to mental health.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It is estimated that 1 in 3 adults will experience mental illness at some time during their lifetime, and 1 in 100 will have a severe mental health condition such as bipolar disorder, psychosis or schizophrenia.
According to a study by the World Health Organization, approximately one in every four Ugandans has a mental health disorder. This means that approximately 10 million Ugandans are likely to have a mental health disorder.
In Uganda, mental health stigma remains a significant obstacle to well-being and progress. Limited awareness, cultural beliefs and religious influences contribute to misconceptions about mental health. Access to services is scarce, exacerbating feelings of hopelessness. Discrimination and isolation are prevalent, with stigmatising language perpetuating negative attitudes.
Despite the common experience of mental health issues, most people are very reluctant to admit them. A fear of stigmatisation and discrimination makes people hesitant to seek support from their colleagues, employer and importantly, from their line manager(s).
Debunking the myths about mental health
Mental illness is a medical condition caused by genetic, biological, social, & environmental factors. The most common mental illnesses are stress, anxiety and depression and cause more lost working days than any other health issue. Mental illness is very common, impacting even up to 20% of the workforce in any given year. It is not caused by personal weakness, nor ‘cured’ by personal strength. Actually, with appropriate treatment, many people recover from it however during periods of mental illness, productivity is often affected. Upon recovery, there is generally a return to normal levels of functioning.
Why and how do stigma and discrimination affect people with mental health problems?
Nearly nine out of ten people with mental health problems say that stigma and discrimination have a negative effect on their lives. There are also people who face more than one type of stigma: for example, one may also be stigmatised because of their race, gender or disability.
Oftentimes, people with mental health problems are also among the least likely of any group with long-term health conditions or disabilities to find work, be in a steady, long-term relationship or be socially included in mainstream society.
Stigma and discrimination can also make someone’s mental health problems worse and delay or stop them from getting help. Social isolation, unemployment, poverty and lack of access to quality care exacerbate mental ill health. Poverty, especially, tends to trap people in a cycle of illness because they cannot afford healthcare.
How Standard Chartered is advancing mental health
As Standard Chartered, we believe that a culture of inclusion is a key lever to our business success. It enables us to be the best place to work, the best place to bank, work and contribute to creating prosperous communities. We therefore support our staff with mental health through the initiatives below;
Mental health first aiders who aretrained to listen and communicate effectively with colleagues and understand the most effective ways of encouraging them to seek appropriate help.
Our Employee Assistance Programme’ (EAP) partner, is always available 24/7 – 365 days and the services are designed to help our colleagues and their household members manage setbacks, emotional conflicts or the demands of daily life, which affect your work, health and family.
Unmind is an App that was designed to help our employees understand, support and improve their mental health. Through using the App they can receive support from managing stress, sleeping better to improving their focus.
Wellbeing Champions; we support our colleagues through wellbeing champions whom we first train through a course which equips them to use tools to support colleagues within the Bank.
As I conclude, while mental health challenges are a serious problem in Uganda, there are a number of things that can be done to address this problem, like continuous awareness creation, reducing stigma, increasing access to quality mental health care and providing support to people with mental illness and their families, among others.
I therefore encourage each one of us to take care of ourselves and to reach out for help from colleagues, family or trained specialists when we require it.