Work and mental health :1.

Being in paid employment is generally considered to be a good thing. It’s more than just a way of earning a living: it provides identity, contact and friendship with other people, a way of putting structure in your life, and an opportunity to meet goals and to contribute. 

And while it's possible to embrace an alternative point of view, and thrive without paid work, unemployment is linked with poor physical and mental health, and poverty. However, paid employment brings its own pressures on your mental health. 

It is  estimated that every year around 2 million people experience a health problem that they believe to have been caused by their current or past work: stress being the largest cause of work-related illnesses. Stress and bullying are the two main causes of mental distress at work.

If you already have a mental health problem, maintaining paid employment can itself be a challenge: the usual pressures of work may sometimes make you feel worse, or you may feel that you can’t be open about your condition to your boss or colleagues. However, with understanding and support from your employer, and a little bit of flexibility, work can be a positive experience.

Only at its very worst has my mental health adversely affected my work. In general, I feel better when I am actually at work – being distracted and feeling valued for what I do.

Note: Not all work is paid work. People work and gain skills in many ways, e.g. through bringing up children, caring for relatives, maintaining the home and garden, or doing voluntary work. While these are all important, the focus of this topic is on paid employment, which has distinct pressures, rules and expectations.

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