• Avoiding friends and social activities
• Difficulties relating to others
• Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
• Changes in eating habits
• Changes in sex drive
• Difficulty perceiving reality ( delusions or hallucinations , in which a person experiences and senses things that don ’ t exist in objective reality )
• Inability to perceive changes in one ’ s own feelings , behavior or personality (“ lack of insight ” or anosognosia )
• Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
• Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes ( such as headaches , stomach aches , vague and ongoing “ aches and pains ”)
• Thinking about suicide
• Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
• An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance
Let ’ s talk
Opening up a conversation that could be deeply personal in nature may seem overwhelming . The best approach is honesty and simplicity .
Just Ask : In the same sentence you ask about a team-member ’ s allergies , ask about their mental health . It might look something like this —“ Jan , how have your allergies been lately ? What about your mental health ? How have you been feeling ? I know times have been stressful . Let me know if I am overstepping .” Or , during a one-on-one , say “ We talked about your workload and responsibilities , but what about you ? How is your mental health doing ?”
Share Your Own Struggles : “ My anxiety has been keeping me up at night . I am so worried about the kids and this upcoming school year . What about you ?”
Don ’ t try to fix people : Mental health issues are deeply personal . To say something like , “ Well , cheer up , it could be worse ” is demeaning , and insinuates the person just needs to pick themselves up and carry on . Struggles are real , and a pep talk won ’ t help .
Various technique : When attempting to speak to an individual regarding a specific mental health disorder , Bring Change 2 Mind offers a talking resource that features a useful variety of discussion scenarios .
Mental disorders are not adjectives
Stigma is driven through words and attitudes . Insist on eliminating common phrasing or descriptions that fuel negative perceptions of mental illness .
A few examples might include :
• “ They ’ re ill .” People don ’ t want to be labeled as sick .
• “ The crazy resident in B101 is at it again , or “ That resident is insane .” Just say no to these sorts of phrases .
• “ She ’ s so bipolar !” Mental disorders are not adjectives . It is not acceptable to refer to someone who has cancer as “ cancerous ,” so don ’ t refer to someone who has schizophrenia as “ psycho .”
• “ You look so anorexic !” “ My OCD is coming out again .” “ He ’ s psychotic !” Teach your team to recognize how these terms fuel stigma and insist they stop using them
Spirit mind body
Benefits should reflect a holistic approach to wellness and encourage mind / body parity . What affects the mind , affects the body , and what affects the body , affects the mind . Robust mental health coverage through insurance offerings , wellness benefits that include mind and spirit are ways to create a whole-person centered program .
Empathy , willingness to talk about our own struggles , and focus on mind / body parity will reduce stigma , encourage behaviors that keep our teams well , and provide support when they ’ re not .
Lori Snider is a mental health advocate and leading multifamily marketing , learning and experience expert , currently serving as Head of Learning and Team Experience for RedPeak . She is an acclaimed industry expert on sales and service trends , and a recognized and frequent national conference presenter ( NAA , MFE ) whose presentations are lively , relevant and full of laughter . Contact Lori at 303 / 517-2006 or lsnider @ redpeak . com