As its Mental Health Week, and I have seen a few people posting some very honest posts about their Mental Health, I thought I would share a few thoughts about the topic.
We appear to be far more aware of mental health issues these days than in the past. Indeed at times it seems that it is the “trendy” thing to say you are suffering from mental health issues. That is perhaps unfair because the truth is not only are we far more aware of mental health issues than in the past, there is definitely an increase in the number of people suffering from a variety of mental health problems.
So, why are we seeing an increase in mental health problems?
POVERTY?
if you compare society with say 1950, its certainly the case that we are a more affluent society than we were. Look at the amount of clothes, electrical goods etc we have now compared to 70 years ago. We generally work fewer hours than previously and less people work manually. Even for those who do manual labour, it is not as back breaking owing to technology as it was. I know that some may point to those at the bottom of the ladder who are struggling, but overall things have improved in terms of affluence.
Another aspect of affluence is the number of people who own their own home compared to 1950 and back in 1950, very few people owned a motor car, whereas nowadays its not uncommon for households to have several cars. The same is true with TVs.
Whilst undoubtedly poverty does have a negative impact on people’s mental and physical health, it does not appear to be the cause of the increase in mental health problems, in my view when one considers there I less poverty in real terms than 70 or so years ago
PHYSICAL HEALTH?
People seemed to have very little, but conversely accepted their lot and seemed to enjoy what little they had. Yes people did have mental and physical health issues then as well. Life expectancies were shorter.
Physical health was an issue. nowadays, we have problems caused by affluence, i.e. obesity, diabetes etc whereas back in 1950 it was more likely to be caused by contagious diseases and accidents at work.
The treatment given by the NHS has improved massively since say 1950, both in terms of treatments and afflictions that can be cured, but also in terms of pain relief. Also both health and social treatment for those suffering from disability has improved beyond all recognition over the last 70 or so years. That is not to say it can’t be improved further, because of course it can and should be so improved.
It doesn’t appear in my opinion that physical health issues are the cause of the increase in metal health problems, perhaps excluding the elderly who living longer and in failing health may suffer some mental health issues as a result.
SOCIAL MEDIA & THE INTERNET?
This is something that did not exist previously. Whilst social media, the internet etc have made great improvements in modern life, they have also caused problems.
Benefits include having access to information instantly and having the ability to communicate instantly with millions. I do not propose to try to list all the benefits of the internet or social media, nor do I propose to list all its disadvantages.
Problems caused by this include:
I) The ability to spread disinformation – it can be difficult to determine what is true online and what is not
ii) The fact that it can be difficult to get away from social media. If you have a phone with you, then generally you have social media with you. It finds you without you hunting it.
iii) Related to point ii) above, it is difficult to get away from bullying on social media. To take an example relating to children. In the past, if you were being bullied at school, you could at least get respite from bullying when you got home and shut the bullies out. Now with social media the bullies and trolls can continue you to harass you even though they are not near you. It doesn’t just apply to children, it applies to everyone. This bullying can take place from people who do not even know anything about the person they are bullying. You only have to look at any message board or on twitter to see examples of this.
The abuse given to public figures on social media is regularly reported in the media. It happens equally to non public figures as well/
iv) The pressure to conform – whether to look a particular way, to like a particular style etc is massively increased by social media, including the use of photoshopped unrealistic images.
v) The pressure to keep up with the Joneses is increased when you are bombarded constantly with images of what others have. You see one person on luxury holidays, another driving luxury cars, another buying a huge house and you feel you need to try to emulate all of them. In the past you were not bombarded by so many images from different groups and did not have the same pressure
Another related issue that has been exacerbated by the lockdown is the use of the internet , laptops and emails at work. In the past when you left work, in most jobs, that was it until you return to work the next day. Nowadays, you can be emailed, texted etc at home on an evening and there is always a temptation to log onto your laptop at home and check your emails. This means you never get a chance to switch off from work.
This can be exploited by unscrupulous bosses, who think if you are contactable then they can email or call you anytime. I had experience of this recently, when during a busy time at work, where I am employed to work 9-5 Monday to Friday and not paid overtime, I worked 12 hours on a Friday, 12 hours on a Saturday and planned to work the Sunday afternoon. I had advised my manager I was not available on the Sunday morning as I was going for a bike ride , my one relaxation. Despite this being non working hours, and a time he knew I was specifically unavailable, during the course of a couple of hours on my bike, I was called several times by him and received numerous texts. I tried to ignore them, but you are left feeling anxious as to why you are being called. This meant my “relaxation” turned out to be nothing of the sort. I know I am not unique in having this happen.
ASPIRATION & UNREALISTIC AIMS?
One major change is society is the upward mobility of society. In the past working class people rarely went onto further or higher education. It was common for people to leave school at first opportunity and go into jobs, often manual jobs or minor admin roles. Apprenticeships were highly prized and young people could learn a trade.
These were the aspirations for many people. A job that enabled them to rent a property and pay for a few luxuries such as nights out or a holiday whether in the UK or later abroad.
People seemed to have very little, but conversely accepted their lot and seemed to enjoy what little they had. Yes people did have mental and physical health issues then as well. Life expectancies were shorter. I have touched on this earlier.
For the last 30 or so years, and especially from the Blair government onwards (including under the Tories since 2010) in 1997 there has been a massive push to encourage children to go to university. It has become the case that going to university is expected of children, compared to back in the 1950s when virtually no one went to university.
It is right that the option to go to university is available to all groups in society, not just the wealthy. To that degree it is a positive. However, it has gone beyond that and children are pressurised by expectation into going to university, even when they will come out of it with a degree, massive debts and no job. Conversely, there is a shortage of people going to learn trades or doing apprenticeships.
The balance between making it possible for people to go to university and it being an expectation is out of kilter. People leaving university with a degree and unable to find a job are left feeling they have failed.
This is after they have already felt under huge pressure to get the necessary GCSEs and A Levels to get to University. Children who in previous generations would not have worried about getting A Levels etc are left stressing about their grades when they should be growing up and maturing. From the age of say 14, children are under increasing pressure from society to get good grades, go to university etc.
then when they leave university with all that debt, there are only so many secure long term “graduate “ jobs. Many end .up working in the gig economy or in jobs that previous generations did without degrees. This all adds to pressure on people.
If people are lucky enough to get a job, they then struggle to raise funds to buy a house. Property prices have increased faster than inflation (for many reasons) meaning that unlike in the 1950s both parties in a relationship need to work to pay rent or mortgage. This of course then means when they have children both parents need to go back to work and spend less time with their children as they grow up causing more stress.
NEWS MEDIA?
No piece can be complete without a reference to the part the news media play. They create unrealistic hopes then dash them. The media love to build up hope then destroy it creating more stress.
I am not going to go into lots of examples, but one in today’s paper I think highlights it. We are coming out of lockdown. The papers have been demanding that we speed up the removal of restrictions claiming everything is wonderful, thus building up people’s belief that things are back to normal. then an immediate about face, the press today have a story entitled :
Immediately they have caused fear and panic amongst a population that were getting used to lockdown easing. When you actually read the story, the reality is that the Indian variant is currently unlikely to have any effect on the unlocking plans. The media ( of all political persuasions) like to sensationalise headlines – click bait – to get attention. Many people do not go beyond the headline.
CONCLUSIONS
There are many reasons why mental health problems are increasing and there is no single reason why we have a mental health crisis these days, but if people are aware of some of the causes, they may help to enable them to adopt strategies to lessen some of the problems.
It is important to take time away from work and other pressures. As an employer or line manager, it is your duty to respect your employees work life balance.
Take time for yourself and relax away from work.
I was out cycling at the start of the year and saw a banner advertising “Free Food”. I made enquiries about this, and it turns out it was for a Food Surplus Charity that distributes surplus food to those who want or need it, without means testing. Treating people with dignity. I volunteered to help out with this, and find that although it takes up some of my free time, giving something back to society is a wonderful way to reduce stress and anxiety and improve my mental health. This is especially so when I am able to cycle to / from the sessions, so get cycling in as well as helping out.
To misquote a hashtag phrase BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Bobby Shaftoe's Gone to Sea 