In many ways mental health is still not validated as a health issue, especially by the public, and in a lot of cases, at the workplace. The integrity of someone’s word is retaliated with skepticism regarding their work ethic. Questioned, as an excuse to get out of something. Suspected, as a pretext to perform at a lesser degree.
I think the issue partly stems from the belief, “We’ve survived this way for this long, it can’t be that bad.” This leads to the rational that if what has a worked in the past for others does not work for you, then it is you that must be incapable, not the system.
I would also argue that since the time when we were once Neanderthals, we used our innate ability to adapt in order to survive. But now, we live in a modern age where survival, in the form of life and death, has evolved into survival as a person’s overall well being.
And it is this well being that has not yet been validated as a serious health concern.
There seems to be the standard that if you are sick, to rightfully justify not coming to work. You must be on the verge of dropping down dead. That the commute from your bed to work would put you in an incommode where your physical life would be threatened.
Your well being isn’t threatened. Your corporeal form is. And if it is not at this state, the next question asked is, “How does this affect the workplace?”
So unless you work in a industry where you interact frequently with the public, staying home is not justified.
There is a precedence to put work before your well being. Because, essentially, work provides financial stability compensating for those incidents when you are unwell.
There is a motto taught to first aid responders to remind them to treat the most life-threatening issues first. It’s called, “Life over limb.” Because if there is no life, there is no reason to treat the other injuries. But what of mental health?
These days, health professionals are beginning to talk more about how physical ailments can sometimes be the manifestations of mental health issues like stress and anxiety.
By beginning to validate mental well being as a serious health condition, then maybe we would take better inventory of ourselves and improve prevention of physical health conditions.
