If you are suffering from a mental health issue and it is affecting your work, you should attempt to tackle the issue head-on before it impacts your employment status. First, we will look at common mental health issues that affect the workplace. Then, we will look at how to identify the problem. Next, we will look at treatment centers. If you are worried about losing your job, making the decision to put your health first and visit a center is a great way to show your dedication to your recovery. Finally, you will have to remain committed to the aftercare plan to stay well and at work.
Common Mental Health Problems
In the workplace, there are some mental health issues that, unfortunately, occur quite often. These include stress, anxiety, and depression. Stress typically causes irritability, physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, changes in eating and sleeping habits, and very little downtime.
Anxiety can cause distress and even dread at the thought of going to work and can cause a loss of self-esteem and anxious behavior, such as pacing, obsessing over details, or avoiding work altogether.
Depression can cause a person to stop being able to take care of themselves properly, and they may stop showering, brushing their teeth, eating well, or sleeping. Feelings of depression can be very debilitating and exhausting and make you feel like nothing is worth anything.
Identifying The Problem
All of these mental health issues can cause a person’s behavior to change at work. It is important to know the signs of mental health issues at work so that you can spot them in yourself and also be aware when a colleague is suffering.
It can be challenging to identify when someone you work with is struggling with mental health issues, so if you are unsure if your colleagues need extra support, consider their baseline. That is, how do they normally act? Are they coming in late, when this is not typical of them? Are they more brisk than normal? Have their eating habits changed? These are just some things to look out for that could indicate a change in mood or mental health.
If you notice that someone is drinking or smoking more, or shows other signs of substance abuse, it could be that they are experiencing a co-occurring mental or behavioral disorder alongside addiction.
Treatment Centers
Co-occurring mental or behavioral disorders and addiction often go hand-in-hand. The disorders commonly linked with addiction are anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar, borderline personality disorder (BPD), depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia.
If you suffer from one of the above conditions alongside addiction, it is recommended to reach out to a treatment center. The signs to look out for include a lack of attention to hygiene, suicidal thoughts, impulsiveness, inability to manage finances, poor work performance, delusional thoughts, inability to manage responsibilities, and social isolation. Reaching out to a center will indicate your determination to get better and stay at work.
Dual diagnosis can help a person work through their mental health disorder while tackling the addiction problem. A treatment center in Orange County will provide a personalized treatment plan that focuses on getting to the root of the addiction itself. Treating both the addiction and the mental health issue simultaneously is the best way to see results.
Aftercare
Finally, after you leave the treatment facility, in which you will receive excellent personalized care, therapy, and self-care plans, you will have to commit to sticking to the aftercare plan. You will leave with a much clearer understanding of your mental health issues and a way to move forward, stay clean and keep prioritizing your health. Waking up every day and choosing to stay dedicated to your recovery is key.
Sticking to the aftercare plan, actively choosing to put your well-being first, and turning up to your work dedicated to doing the best you can is the key to keeping your job and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
This has been a brief guide to dealing with mental health disorders with a focus on the workplace and staying employed. First, we looked at some of the most common mental health issues that affect the workplace, such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Then, we covered signs of mental ill health. Next, we discussed treatment centers and dual diagnosis. Finally, we recommended that you stick to your aftercare plan to keep prioritizing your health and well-being, as well as your continued employment. Good luck and remember to be kind to yourself.