Prof. Dr. Hülya Ensari, who gave a conference on World Mental Health Day, gave information on prioritizing mental health in the workplace within the scope of this year's theme. Referring to the recent increase in suicide and violence in the society, Ensari emphasized the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, stating that individual mental problems turn into social problems.
The World Federation of Mental Health has set the official theme of October 10 World Mental Health Day as “Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace” this year. Prof. Dr. Hülya Ensari, Deputy Dean of Istanbul Atlas University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Mental Health and Diseases, drew attention to the mental health problems in the society by conveying important information about the awareness of common mental illnesses in the society, diagnosis and treatment of common mental illnesses with the conference she gave on World Mental Health Day.
Reminding that more than 60 percent of the world's population works and that working people spend most of their day at work, Prof. Dr. Ensari said, “When any problem in the workplace or any problem related to the environment negatively affects mental health, when we take into account the family and environment of those people, we can see that this can turn into a social problem. For every employee, a safe and peaceful working environment is very important in terms of mental health. Therefore, it is very important for people to be able to express themselves comfortably in a workplace, to establish a healthy and effective communication with all their teammates and senior management, to communicate their wishes and demands easily, to adopt a team spirit, to not have any psychological pressure from the team and management, to have a working environment that makes the person feel physically and mentally safe, and to feel valuable while doing their own work.”
Only one third of those with mental illness are treated
Stating that the society should get rid of prejudices and raise awareness about mental health, Prof. Dr. Hülya Ensari said, “There is no complete awareness about mental health in society. The lifetime rate of mental illness worldwide is 25 percent. In other words, 1 out of every 4 people may experience mental illness throughout their lifetime. However, only one third of these people can receive treatment. The rate of access to treatment for mental illness is not very high. This is due to the fact that there is a serious problem of prejudice and stigmatization against mental illnesses both among individuals and society. This stigmatization should be eliminated, mental problems should be recognized in time, people should express themselves, early diagnosis and treatment, measures to be taken should be implemented immediately, and all employees and employers should be conscious.”
“Mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, alcohol use disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) constitute 5 of the most common diseases in the world that lead to disability,” Ensari said, ”When these diseases are not recognized, they not only cause the disease to progress, but can also cause the end of the person's working life with disability.”
“There is an increase in alcohol and substance use”
Stating that mental health concerns the society, Prof. Dr. Hülya Ensari drew attention to the frequency of recent suicide and violence incidents and used the following statements:
“When depression is not treated in time, it can lead to consequences such as suicide, which negatively affects both the individual, the family and the society. When it comes to alcohol and substance use disorders - and there has been a very serious increase in society recently. Substance use disorders in individuals cause a tendency towards violence, the spread of violent behavior and an increase in crime rates. The problems go from being individual to becoming social problems. The earlier we recognize these problems and do our best for diagnosis and treatment, the better we can protect the mental health of the society.”
Prof. Dr. Hülya Ensari stated that the person should first recognize these problems in himself/herself and said, “For example, if the person has been having sleep and appetite problems recently, if he/she is unhappy, reluctant, if this negatively affects his/her daily life, if it disrupts his/her work and education, he/she should definitely think that there may be a treatable condition such as depression under this and should seek support from a specialist.”
“Make time for yourself and your hobbies”
Prof. Dr. Hülya Ensari, Vice Dean of Istanbul Atlas University Faculty of Medicine, Faculty Member of the Department of Mental Health and Diseases, explained what people should do to manage the stress they experience both in their work and daily lives:
“In order to manage stress, it is very important to share our troubles and sorrows by using effective communication language, to express ourselves on time, to convey our wishes, to share our problems and responsibilities, and to be open to cooperation in a team spirit. To take care of one's nutrition, to do sports, to spare time for hobbies, to pay attention to time management, to be able to say no, to be able to change one's perspective when necessary to manage anger and anxiety, to accept situations that cannot be changed, to be flexible, to be able to develop by learning from the negativities experienced, to be able to ask for help when necessary, to reinforce social networks; most importantly, when we focus on the moment we are living with an unprejudiced point of view, away from the prejudices of the past in our thoughts, giving our full attention to what is happening at the moment, away from the worry and anxiety of the future, we will be able to realize that many of the problems we experience also contain solutions.”
Ensari said, “As awareness and consciousness about mental health increases in the society, we can talk about our mental problems by moving away from prejudices and seek help early in case of illness and get expert support. We should give importance and priority to our mental health at least as much as physical health.”
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