Mental illness

I do agree. A lot of “Mental Health Awareness” campaigns in workplaces are nothing more than virtue signalling and box ticking exercises in order to cover their asses and make themselves look good. In reality however most places see anyone with a mental health issue as nothing more than a hindrance.

job I was in they had a ‘mental health advocate’ for each department.

Just regular employees who had done a two or so day course and came back thinking that they were the love child of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.

When it was pointed out to them about staff / supervisors who were bullying employees…. And the mental health impacts endured by people because of that……They shut those conversations down, didn’t want to know…. But fair play they had really important stuff like the set up a mindfulness zone in a disused office where there were a few posters, books and… well posters and books… 🤪

all ‘ theatre ‘ that was supposedly to give the impression that they gave a shît.

Not saying the op is not legit but people don't tend to suddenly start nursing. But I agree with Jequon, working in healthcare with an addiction is not good for anyone so maybe it's time your friend got some help with that.

Your health, mental and physical, is a private matter. Newsbags in jobs with nothing going on in their own lives will broadcast and embellish anything they hear. Other more malicious people will use it to get ahead.
Talk about the weather or any other generic topics. Be wary of anyone who overshares too. It can be a tactic to get you to reveal something personal too.

Get on with your work colleagues but don’t tell them your life story.

you won't sleep tonight now because the giant succubus nurse will have heard your disparaging remarks and come looking for you

Lots of people have issues that make them a hindrance in the workplace.

Some are stupid and don't understand the job. Some are ugly and don't work well with customers. Some have arthritis so can't walk very fast and don't get much done. Some have mood disorders which mean they cannot react appropriately in situations.

The ideal is for each person to get a job where their particular issues aren't a problem. Finding jobs like that can be especially hard for people with mental illnesses, because their condition often affects their behaviour in ways that make colleagues feel mentally unsafe.

Mental health awareness is ike hygiene awareness: Reminding people to wash their hands (practise mindfulness) is a general preventative, but it's no help for someone who already has influenza (a psychosis episode).

I got a good laugh from this post 😅

In all fairness though, there are still one or two vile auld nurse managers still around who are a hangover from when the religious orders were firmly in control of the hospitals. I’ve had issues with one myself and I can’t wait for the day she finally retires. Most of the nurses in my department are really lovely people though, a few Irish and a lot of Filipino nurses. They do fantastic work with patients there.

Have you worked in healthcare?

that’s nicely put. It should appear on canteen doors and screensavers or contracts.

The thing is mental illness and mental health problems are not mutually exclusive. I keep hearing an add for an RTE documentary with some comedian (can you tell I won't watch tv) and it starts out with the line, "everyone suffers from mental health" and that's just the truth. Everyone at some point in their lives will suffer from some kind of mental health issue, whether thats grief from loss, anxiety or stress or depression and related symptoms. These are the things we all need to be aware of. Sometimes just being aware that it's normal is enough for a person to reach out and talk to someone or decide to get some help with that so they can begin to lead healthier lives again. There could be entirely innocuous reasons like the loss of a spouse, job, failure of exams, bullying, domestic abuse, a physical condition…this list goes on. People need to know that's normal. Work places need to understand that people are normal.

Mental illness covers a whole raft of conditions, some of which can be lifelong and debilitating often requiring hospitalization or clinical treatment. These may be classed as a disability and would need to be taken into consideration as such in a workplace environment too for health and safety reasons, but not particularly as part of an awareness campaign in order to highlight mental wellbeing.