By Emmanuel Uko
Discussions about mental health are becoming popular. However, the gap between reliable information and positive action remains to be bridged. One of those who experienced this information gap is Farid Suleiman, an intern at eHealth Africa. He believed that mental health interventions could only take place in psychiatric units. For Farid, this is now changing.
“My perspective has improved. I now know that being overworked and stressed, and the quality of my social interaction directly correlate to the state of our mental health”, he said.
All staff at eHealth Africa participated in the campaign, either virtually or physically.
For the 2022 World Mental Health Day, eHealth Africa created a forum where Farid and the rest of the eHealth workforce would learn, following the theme: “Make Mental Health and Wellbeing for All a Global Priority”. The learning session was anchored by a mental health expert and public speaker, Chidi Chukwudi-Madu. The session opened with a clarification that there is no physical health without mental health. It explored the relationship between pressure, stress and mental health. The learning forum presented facts, causes and red flags associated with the topic of the day and how they relate to the workplace.
Mental health issues are prevalent amongst young people especially in low income countries. According to WHO, one in four adults experience mental health issues annually and nearly 1 billion people live with a mental health disorder. More so, one out of ten young people experiences a mental health problem; three out of four of these have their onset by the age of twenty, and about 50% of mental health disorders start by the age of fourteen. 11% of 18 – 34-year-olds report having attempted suicide and 16% report self-harm at some stage in their lives.
It is estimated that by the year 2032, depression will put more burden on countries than any other disease. There is, therefore, a need for more interventions around mental health management, especially in the workplace, which potentially has multiple stressors.
Anchoring the learning event on mental health, Ms Chukwudi-Madu emphasized three key points on prioritizing mental health at work:
Farid Suleiman’s perspective on mental health topics has changed.
1. At the workplace, three out of ten employees develop mild mental health issues annually, for varied reasons. Individuals must therefore, ensure work-life balance, talk with friends, keep active creatively and learn new productivity skills.
2. Red flags to watch out for include social withdrawal, decline in work performance, deteriorating physical appearance, frequent headaches, poor judgments and indecision. Other red flags include unexplained changes in eating and sleeping patterns, self-harming behaviors, emotional numbness, frequent tearfulness and poor memory.
3. Managers should hold regular check-ins with employees, enable people to connect, review workloads, encourage discussions and promote learning at the workplace.
Mohammed Bello, a Project Manager at eHealth described the session as, “An eye-opener and a wake-up call to be deliberate about mental health, especially in the workplace where employees spend most of their time”.
Adama Shallangwa, an Intern with eHealth Africa, added, “This session has opened me up to the responsibility of mutual support towards remaining mentally healthy and productive at work and at home, understanding that it is okay not to be okay.”
Asked what he would do differently after the campaign, Farid expressed, “Now that I know better, I will be deliberate about my state of mind, think positively, rest adequately, avoid stress and most importantly, treat people well and add value to the wellbeing of others.”
eHealth Africa, one of Nigeria’s #BestPlacesToWork, continues to use innovative ways to enable its workforce access relevant information that add value to their personal and professional productivity.