mental health in the 21 st century workplace hazards & defences dr adrian massey
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Mental Health in the 21 st Century Workplace Hazards & Defences Dr Adrian Massey Islington Headteachers ’ Network Summer Conference 2014. Overview Concepts Disease, illness, sickness N eurosis, psychosis, personality T he medicalization of life Practicalities - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Mental Health in the 21st Century WorkplaceHazards & Defences
Dr Adrian Massey
Islington Headteachers’ NetworkSummer Conference 2014
Overview
Concepts• Disease, illness, sickness• Neurosis, psychosis, personality• The medicalization of life
Practicalities• Workplace risks to mental health• Healthy work
Health Warning
“Psychology – The study of people who do not need to be studied, by people who
do.”
Variously attributed
Disease, Illness & Sickness
• Disease Disorder of structure or function• Illness Experience of symptoms• Sickness Social recognition and support
Disease, Illness & Sickness
• Disease Disorder of structure or function• Illness Experience of symptoms• Sickness Social recognition and support
The medical model is not a very satisfactory explanation for human behaviour, particularly for
mental health problems!
Disease, Illness & SicknessDisease, Illness & Sickness
“It is more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a
disease a patient has.”Sir William Osler
Neurosis, psychosis, personality
• Neurosis Disorder of feeling• Psychosis Disorder of
thought/perception• Personality Individual, distinctive characteristics
Neurosis, psychosis, personality
• Neurosis Disorder of feeling• Psychosis Disorder of
thought/perception• Personality Individual, distinctive characteristics
Are neurosis and psychosis predominantly accidents of nature and personality disorders predominantly
accidents of nurture?
The medicalization of life
• Expectation of material, social and sexual success• Aspects of normal life reframed as pathological• Grief, disappointment, frustration, inability to cope• ‘Stress’ is the epitome
The medicalization of life
• Expectation of material, social and sexual success• Aspects of normal life reframed as pathological• Grief, disappointment, frustration, inability to cope• ‘Stress’ is the epitome
Within many organisational and legal processes perverse incentives exist for employees, managers and clinicians to medicalize non-medical problems
Costs – Individual
• Clinicians can make things worse!• Distress protracted for the employee• Risk of more serious ill-health• Serious mental health problems are demeaned
Costs – Organisational
• Wasted medical and managerial time and resource• Organisational inefficiency/injustice• Disempowerment of managers and employers• Compassion fatigue
Costs – Organisational
Costs – Organisational
Workplace risks to mental health in the 21st Century
Obvious –
• Recessionary job insecurity• Rapid change facilitated by IT• Aging workforce• Greater scope for job mismatch and strain
Workplace risks to mental health in the 21st Century
Insidious –
• Stifled communication esp. with ‘sick’ employees• Ambiguity re. role of employer, job options• Loss of autonomy• Unrealistic expectations of employment• Perceived injustice by stoic employees (fairness)• Compassion fatigue of managers to genuinely ill
Healthy work
Healthy work
• Recognition that policies can incentivise acopia• Clarity re. management role/employment options• Managerial ownership of management problems• Timely resolution of employment issues• Human (cf. medical) care and compassion• Access to medical advice when needed
Then…
Now!
“One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.”
Sir William Osler