Nearly half of all corporate employees in India struggle with their mental health, revealed a study titled ‘The Silent Struggle’ by Mpower, an initiative by The Aditya Birla Education Trust. Women fared worse, with 56% of the 1,373 interviewed at a higher risk, while the fraction of men was at 41%.
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A total of 3,000 people were surveyed across the eight metropolitan cities of Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Pune.
“Everybody faces stress. But lack of coping mechanisms, the lack of a support system and the stigma surrounding mental health can lead to poor mental health,” said Dr Parveen Shaikh, VP operations at Mpower. “If you let it get worse, it can become a disorder. And that can lead to a stage where you cannot live normally,” added Shaikh.
The cause of poor mental health lies heavily in the nature of work. The survey further revealed that nine out of ten respondents lacked a work-life balance. Those who worked more than 45 hours a week were at a greater risk of degraded mental health.
“When you work in a toxic or non-supportive environment, you dread coming to work and your stress levels are already high. Breaks are also important, but as we noticed, 94% of employees are expected to work during their leave,” said Dr Sapna Bangar, a psychiatrist at Mpower.
Mid-level employees are also particularly vulnerable. Dr Shaikh suspects this may be due to the responsibilities that typically accompany this stage, with pressures arising from striving for promotions, managing a team and growing a family. Women have added cultural expectations of working not only at the workplace – to the extent they avoid announcing pregnancies – and also at home. This adds to their share of stress.
Following closely were family and relationship issues, with the stress from each spilling over onto the other domain. Financial insecurity was also a big cause of worry. Dr Sapna said an analysis of some of the factors revealed a lack of job security, leading to a feeling of financial instability. An extension of support, in the form of a loan or health insurance, can help.
The fallout of poor mental health can be extremely detrimental. “Chronic stress, which leads to elevated levels of cortisol, can lead to diabetes, hypertension and back pain among other physical issues. These are irreversible and occurring more and more at younger ages,” said Dr Bangar.
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“At an individual level, mental health can be improved by taking care of yourself, not only physically, but also for your leisure and happiness,” Dr Shaikh. “At the corporate level, a mental health policy including leaves, support, awareness programs, and de-stigmatization can help.” With over 80% of the respondents admitting they had taken two weeks’ worth of leave in the last year due to stress, anxiety and poor mental health, mental health leaves are a possible panacea. “Leave is time off, but having the possibility of that leave lends to a safe environment to have that conversation,” said Dr Shaikh.
