Mental health
has been in the news recently with the publication of a report from the Department
for Work and Pensions and Department of Health. Thriving
at Work: a review of mental health and employers sets out what employers
can do to better support all employees – including those with mental health
problems – to remain in and thrive through work. The 84 page document makes recommendations
for employers, for the public sector and for government.
What is interesting
is the emphasis on thriving. The authors, (Lord Dennis
Stevenson and Paul Farmer) state: "we start from the position that the
correct way to view mental health is that we all have it and we fluctuate
between thriving, struggling and being ill and possibly off work" (p.5). There
are similarities, in this analysis, with Keyes' (2002) view of wellbeing as a
continuum, with flourishing at one extreme and languishing at the other. We are
flourishing – or thriving – when we are enjoying positive emotion and good
psychological and social functioning, whereas languishing is associated with
emptiness, stagnation and despair.
Earlier this
year, to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, the Mental Health
Foundation published its own report Surviving or
Thriving? The state of the UK's mental health. The Mental Health
Foundation is a UK charity dedicated to addressing the sources of mental health
problems so people and communities can thrive. Like the Stevenson/Farmer review,
Surviving or Thriving? makes some helpful recommendations,
including 'ten steps we can all take to thrive' and 'five steps for a mentally
thriving UK'. Both reports are well
worth a detailed read for, as Surviving or Thriving? warns:
"current
levels of good mental health are disturbingly low. The barometer of success of
any nation is the health and wellbeing of its people. We have a long way to go
before we can say that we are a thriving nation. Although we have made great
strides in the health of our bodies and our life expectancy, we now need to
achieve the same for the good health of our minds" (p.6).
References
Keyes, C.L.M. (2002). The mental health continuum: from languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 207-222.Stevenson, D & Farmer, P. (2017). Thriving at work. The Stevenson / Farmer review of mental health and employers. London: Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health.
Mental Health Foundation (2017). Surviving or Thriving? The state of the UK's mental health. London: Mental Health Foundation.
