The big D: overcoming fear and ignorance in work

The mental health charity SANE has launched a major new depression awareness campaign. It has commissioned life-size black dogs to place in cities throughout the UK to raise awareness of the 'invisible' condition.

Depression and anxiety were the most commonly reported illnesses in a new Department of Health and Work report on employees at work. They account for over half of all work-related absences signed off by GPs.

So it made me wonder why there is such a lack of information or help about depression at work. The Shaw Trust's follow up report, 'Mental health: Still the Last Workplace Taboo?' perhaps indicates the problem is a mix of fear and ignorance.

In the 2010 report - which sampled 300 small companies (1-50 employees) and 200 medium/large companies (over 50 employees) - these two keys statistics stand out:

• Only 22% of employers thought someone at work currently had a mental health problem.
• 40% of employers thought that someone with an illness like depression would be a 'significant risk' to their business.

Taking the rate of common mental health problems at about one in six of the working population, any organisation which has more than ten employees is practically guaranteed to have someone with or at risk of developing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.

The fact this sounds like scare-mongering really shows the reality gap. According to the World Health Organisation, depression is the largest cause of disability in the world.

Fear, ignorance and depression are hopelessly intertwined. One of the reasons managers think their workforce is so mentally sound is because they are filtering out any feedback which says the opposite. If you were thought of as a significant risk, would you go to your line manger with a mental health problem?

Organisations need to take off their rose-tinted glasses and look at the objective evidence. Then - through confidential means - they should look at how their own workplace stacks up.

At the same time, pubic bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive and the Department of Health should be blitzing offices with a simple message. To get the ball rolling I propose a poster such as:

'Have you felt little or no joy or pleasure in life, or had a low mood you couldn't budge for at least two weeks?

Depression is one of the most common illnesses in the UK. It affects millions of Britons. There are many ways to help you feel better. 

You can quickly check if you may have symptoms of depression at www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/depression.aspx. 

Your GP can also help.'

Everyone - front-line staff, managers, CEOs - all are at risk of depression. By far the best tactic is prevention, and that means making people aware at the earliest point what to look out for and how to avoid it getting worse.

Such a campaign might also help to reduce stigma and help colleagues to look after each other.