Letter from the Editor: Breaking the stigma

In the United Kingdom, around 19 percent of employees have taken a sick day due to stress, but a whopping 90 percent of these individuals gave their boss a completely different reason.

Around 1 in 5 of us are living with a mental health condition, which begs the question: Why do we still feel that we can’t talk about these issues when they are so common?

While great strides have been made in breaking the stigma associated with mental health conditions, the work environment remains a particularly challenging place to talk openly about these issues.

“I have depression, anxiety, and [obsessive-compulsive disorder], so it’s a lot of juggling of difficult mental health conditions,” said one member of the Medical News Today editorial team.

“Usually I’ve felt like it needs to be kept a secret, in case people think less of me or think I’ll be worse at my job as a result of it,” she continued. “I’ve worried that I won’t be given opportunities if I’m thought of as being weaker than the rest of the team or somehow a liability because of my mental health.”

Honor Whiteman, Managing Editor

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