A mental health charity organization in the UK is calling on the UK Government to provide more support fund for mental health charities helping organizational workers as mental health problems and suicide rate increases across the nation due to coronavirus pandemic.
Mates in Mind, a mental health charity has called for the government to fund the mental health charities as the United Kingdom begins the second face of its lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Mental health charities have been supporting UK workers and have recorded an increasing number of people needing help over the last six months.
UK workforce reaches crisis point
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently reported that depression rates have doubled since the pandemic began, recording 19.2 percent of the people experiencing some levels of depression in June. This is higher compared to the 9.7 percent recorded for last year.
Suicide and attempted suicide rates record was also shared by London Ambulance with cases averaging 37 suicide and attempted suicides each day. This is also higher compared to 22 cases reported last year and 17 in 2015.
According to James Rudoni, the managing Director of Mates in Mind, “the pandemic and lockdowns have badly disrupted our ways of life and our businesses. They have unleashed fear for both our physical and mental wellbeing as well as the health of those around us; grief for people who have lost loved ones to the pandemic and instilled economic uncertainty feelings for many others.”
Regrettably, there is another problem which is the mental health pandemic, going side-by-side with the COVID-19 pandemic that if left unattended to, will have long-term mental health impact that will be very difficult to recover from.
We’ve been working across the UK workplaces to review the mental health plans of their workers to make sure that proactive measures and strategies are put in place to support their workers and to ensure that they know how, when, and where to get mental health support.
“As the second lockdown has begun, especially during a time where days are colder, shorter and darker, there tends to be a downturn in mental health at the workplace.” The mental health’s winter plan of the government is a welcome initiative, but more important to now is that people need urgent support.
Other small scale charities supporting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace anticipate seeing increasing demands as the second lockdown continues especially with isolation, uncertainty and social distancing are becoming the new norm.
It is necessary for organizations to provide extra mental health support for their workers during times like this while also keeping lines of communication as open as possible. Spotting signs that someone might be battling a mental health crisis and possessing the skills to talk about it, is a great skill that managers and those in leadership positions in organizations can develop. And that is why Mates in Minds is offering several online training courses, programs, and e-learning program choices that support mental health conversations.
