Since 1992, October 10 of each year has been chosen by the World Mental Health Federation as World Mental Health Day, to educate, raise awareness and support mental health care .

In 2024, the chosen theme for the launch is “Prioritizing mental health in the workplace”.

Raising awareness about mental health

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is the foundation for the well-being and effective functioning of individuals. Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorders, but also includes the ability to think, learn and understand one's emotions and the reactions of others. Mental health is a state of balance, both within the body and with the environment. Physical, psychological, social, cultural, spiritual and other related factors are involved in creating this balance. There is an inseparable connection between mental health and physical health.

WHO wants to highlight the close connection between mental health and work. By taking action today, we can build healthy workplaces, provide vital mental health support, and increase awareness and access to mental health resources for workers.

According to WHO, approximately 15% of the working age population currently suffers from mental disorders, with the highest rates being anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. This results in approximately 12 billion working days lost each year due to anxiety and depression, with an estimated loss of approximately $1 trillion to the global economy, mainly due to reduced productivity.

In Vietnam, the rate of 10 common mental disorders is 14.9% of the population, nearly 15 million people. However, most people think that mental disorders are only schizophrenia (commonly known as madness). In fact, the rate of schizophrenia is 0.47% of the population; depression and anxiety account for a high rate, up to 5-6% of the population, the rest other mental disorders such as bipolar affective disorder, mental disorders related to alcohol, drug and other addictive substances use, etc.

Mental Health at Work

According to WHO, mental health at work is the feeling of comfort and positivity of workers when contributing to the collective. If employees, cadres and civil servants have good mental health, they will work enthusiastically, effectively and have the ability to cope well with daily stress. This helps individuals and collectives solve challenges and difficulties at work, improve work efficiency and quality, and maintain love and passion for the profession in the long term.

On the contrary, if mental health is not guaranteed, it will lead to poor coordination reduce productivity of the entire system, making it difficult for individuals the collective to achieve set goals.

Focusing on improving mental health in the workplace will help spread a positive image of a friendly, understanding and people-centered working environment.

Physical, psychological, social, cultural and other related factors all influence mental health. Workplace stress can be caused by performance requirements, high competition, or the nature of specific jobs.

Discrimination, unfair competition, violence or isolation, bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace undermine mental health increase the risk of burnout, anxiety depression, which can lead to self-destructive or suicidal behaviors.

The 4.0 industrial revolution and the C-19 pandemic have profoundly disrupted and changed the global employment structure, many jobs have been created and many jobs have disappeared, tens of millions of new unemployed people, the risk of job loss causes financial insecurity and deeply affects many aspects of life, or exacerbat existing pressures.

Mental health care in the workplace is not given enough attention in many parts of the world. In addition to unsafe working environments, workers also face stigma when they have mental health problems.

Individuals with mental disorders have difficulty finding and maintaining employment, and many of them have to accept jobs that pay less than others with similar workloads.

At the same time, people with mental disorders are also at higher risk for discrimination, bullying, isolation and harassment, further exacerbating existing disorders in a vicious cycle.

As a result, information about workers’ mental health status is often hidden, leading them to refuse to receive mental health support when it is offered. This is a major obstacle for workers to access appropriate care services.

Mental disorders are recognized in the International Labour Organization-ILO list of occupational diseases as revised in 2010, under the heading of mental and behavioral disorders.

Some countries have expanded their lists to include work-related stress, burnout, depression and sleep disorders. Some countries also recognize work-related suicide and include it in their reporting, notification and compensation systems.

In 2022, WHO released guidance on mental health in the workplace, which provides recommendations on well-defined interventions in a number of areas: organization, training, management of workers, individual interventions to promote positive mental health and prevent mental health conditions, recommendations on returning to work after absence related to mental health conditions, and employment for people with mental health conditions.

Workplace mental health is a multi-disciplinary activity at many levels. International conventions on workers have been signed. National programmes for the promotion and prevention of work-related mental health have been developed and are being updated in many countries. The involvement of governments and policy makers is essential.

In each , it is necessary to clearly raise awareness among organizers, managers and employers about mental health issues to create a safe, fair, open and discrimination-free working environment for employees.

Workers themselves need to be equipped with more knowledge and skills to deal with mental health issues, and more available, effective, evidence-based mental health services need to be provided.

Organizations, businesses and families need to create appropriate support for people with mental disorders to find work or return to work appropriately.
Some measures to improve mental health at work

Encourage open and honest communication about mental health

It is important to overcome the stigma associated with mental health. Through open and honest communication, behavioral and emotional issues are recognied and addressed appropriately. By creating a safe and understanding atmosphere, mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, frustration, etc. can be discussed and shared. The earlier these issues are identified, the less likely they are to progress to more serious problems.

Identifying and measuring stress in the workplace

Managing stress levels is essential to help us overcome many challenges at work. The first step is to identify the stress and sources of stress in the workplace. At the same time, note that stress and pressure need to be determined by individuals in the workplace, based on the impact of that stress on themselves. From there, the collective and individuals can come up with solutions to manage stress.

Have flexibility in working hours

Consider offering flexible working hours and reasonable breaks to help achieve a work-life balance.

Recognize the signs of burnout and avoid it

Recognizing the early stages of burnout is important to maintain your mental and physical well-being. While burnout can present differently for everyone, some common signs include: decreased energy or motivation, difficulty making decisions, decreased work performance, and negative feelings and thoughts about work or personal life.

Regularly assess the work environment and provide mental health support

A healthy and positive work environment will prioritize open communication, positive feedback, mutual support and fairness in terms of personal development. We need to be guided to detect emotional and behavioral instability, practice good self-care and cope with stress. At the same time, we need to take care of our mental health such as counseling and specialist examination.

For each of us, it is necessary to increase awareness of mental health to take care of ourselves, our relatives, friends and colleagues. Absolutely do not discriminate against people with mental health problems, because each of us can have certain mental disorders and the treatment of mentally ill people achieve positive results. In addition, it is necessary to practice a healthy lifestyle, suitable working, studying and resting schedule, self-monitor health and share with people around.

10 actions of each citizen to prevent and improve mental health:

1. Recognize and share your feelings;

2. Increase physical activity;

3. Eat healthy;

4. Get enough rest:

5. Use drinks wisely;

6. Keep in touch with people around you;

7. Do the work that you are capable of;

8. Accept yourself for who you are;

9. Ask for help when needed;

10. Care about others.