Identifying early warning signs key to address mental health issues: Expert

Dr Inderbir Singh, a final-year PG student, Department of Psychiatry, University of Health Sciences (UHS) said that an adult spent about one-third of his life at his workplace.

It was a place where people from different areas interacted with each other on a regular basis, he said. A lot of employees face mental health issues, but a majority of them hide their symptoms and do not seek medical treatment even though the issue relating to these needs to be resolved at the earliest.

He said this during a programme here on Sunday that was aimed at making people aware of mental health issues.

He said contrary to the traditional beliefs, mental health problems at the workplace were not mild and did not end naturally. These required attention and intervention to ensure the well-being of employees, he said. Identifying warning signs at an early stage by employers and colleagues could help vulnerable individuals get the needed support and prevent serious consequences in the future, he added.

“Evidence also shows that employee performance and productivity are deeply linked to their mental health. Hence, it is essential for all workplace stakeholders to prioritise it.

In the Indian scenario, many organisations have implemented policies to ensure the physical health of their employees.

However, there is still a dearth of specialist policies related to mental health, especially when compared to the West,” said Dr

Inderbir.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Purushottam, professor, department of psychiatry, said employees should be trained to recognise and report warning signs such as social isolation, frequent unexplained absences and difficulty completing previously manageable tasks.