Did you know that one in four people will experience at least one episode of mental illness during their lifetime? And that mental health issues account for nearly 30% of staff absence in the University?
As an institution we are striving to promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; and as such I have taken up the role as the ULT’s champion for mental health. It is both a privilege, and a huge responsibility, as all cases reduce quality of life, and extreme cases of mental ill health can result in suicide. We all need to work together to improve awareness and remove the stigma around mental health; to empower people to talk openly about their illness in the same way they would talk about a physical illness; thus potentially saving lives in the process.
From a personal point of view I know what it’s like to suffer from mental illness, and also have someone you love suffer, so I’ve experienced both sides. I’ve been through 2 bouts of clinical depression, once treated with medication and the second time with talking therapy. In addition, one of my daughters suffered mental health difficulties during her first year at University, which became so severe that she had to drop out entirely.
Personal experience, and consequently empathy for those experience mental ill health was one of the factors that made me keen to take up this role; the other is a drive to educate people. There are some key facts that everyone should know about when it comes to mental illness…. Firstly, that it’s common, and we shouldn’t be embarrassed about talking about it. Even if you don’t experience it yourself, it’s very likely that you may find yourself supporting a student, a colleague or a family member during their time of need. Secondly, like physical health, that there are things that everyone can and should do to keep themselves mentally well or to help them cope with and recover from mental illness.
So I’m working with the teams in Student services, the Student Union and HROD to ensure that we have a joined up strategy and approach, and to ensure that Mental Health issues are raised, discussed and understood at the senior levels within the University. I’d recommend that everyone becomes familiar with the University’s Wellbeing site which has practical advice as well as some useful resources. For those of you who are particularly interested in developing their knowledge, HROD are running training programmes of half a day, one or two days, which can be booked onto via the CORE HR Portal.
