Overcoming Mental Health Stigma in Your Professional Environment: Coping When It's Taboo
Perceptions about mental health issues are evolving. We now regularly see athletes — even boxers — talking about anxiety or depression. This goes a long way in reducing the age-old stigma. But it seems like people in professional fields didn’t get the memo. People in careers that fall into the category of “professionals” are still toiling in an environment where discussing mental health remains a taboo.
Yep, we live in an age where a football player feels like shame about mental illnesses than a doctor or lawyer does. The numbers bear this out. We see doctors experiencing depression four times more often than the general population.
Why the Stigma?
This is a good question since mental health illnesses are not exactly rare. Having educational credentials does not protect you from such a diagnosis. Someone can have a medical condition or physical injury and be treated with a blend of normalcy and compassion. Yet, there is a long-held — often unspoken — view that having a psychological disorder equates to being “weak” or “crazy” (or both).
Why the Stigma for Professional Workers?
When you’re tasked with professional work, you can hold yourself to expectations that are unrealistic and self-sabotaging. You did the work to gain the prestige, so how in the world can you own up to feeling sad or nervous? Who would take a doctor or lawyer seriously if they struggle with something like disordered eating?
The professionals who are aware of this dynamic surely don’t like it. But how many are willing to risk the stigma by speaking out about it? This keeps the cycle going and prevents good people from getting the help they need and deserve.
Can This Stigma Be Addressed?
The best-case scenario would have management taking the lead via steps like:
Talking about the topic from the moment a person is hired.
Learning how to recognize mental health issues.
Creating an environment where such conversations are normalized.
Allowing for privacy when requested.
Being role models for a healthy work-life balance.
This is a good start but it requires the employees to participate. Recent statistics indicate that this is not yet happening in a big way. For example:
Across all fields, 3 out 4 workers report coping with some kind of mental health issue.
Only 1 in 5 of those employees ask for help.
As a result, the top worldwide reason for worker disability is mental illness.
What Can a Professional Worker Do?
For starters, you can lead by example. This means you don’t judge anyone for their perceived or known mental health disorders. If colleagues are discussing a celebrity or athlete who is advocating for better mental health awareness, express your solidarity and support.
From there, connect with co-workers who you trust. Talk to them about what you’re feeling and ask them how they’re doing. Start the conversations on a one-on-one level and ease slowly into making things more public.
Talk to management and HR. Let them know that more needs to be done. By law, they cannot punish you for speaking up. If this step feels daunting, get outside help in advance.
Therapy Can Be a Giant Step in the Right Direction
It can be huge to connect with a fellow professional. Sitting across from a therapist in the privacy of their office is an excellent launching pad for this situation. Mental health professionals are widely encouraged to attend therapy, and thus, a big chunk of the stigma is erased. In other words, they are ideally situated to help you on this journey.
If this post had you nodding your head in agreement, I invite you to reach out to set up a free consultation for work-stress therapy.
