When “BACK FROM THE BRINK: Australians tell their story of overcoming depression” was launched in 2007, I was fortunate that it generated a lot of publicity and I found myself having contact with the general public through talk back radio, book signings, and talks. What truly surprised me was that about 70% of the people who spoke with me were the loved ones of someone living with depression – I thought it would be those with depression. I came to understand that these people were quite desperate to get quality information about how best to assist to person who was struggling. They were also struggling with their own mental health whilst trying to support someone else. That lead me to write “BACK FROM THE BRINK TOO: Helping a loved one overcome depression” which became SANE Australia’s 2009 Book of the Year.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Brisbane delivering a session called BEATING DEPRESSION TOGETHER designed for those with depression and their loved ones. It was once again reinforced how isolated and alone these loved ones feel.

I advocate four things to keep in mind when you discover that a loved one is depressed:

1. learn about depression types and effective treatments
2. help find competent professionals for them
3. It’s not your fault
4. Take care of yourself – you can’t sustain care if you burn yourself out.

I go into a lot of depth into each of these in BACK FROM THE BRINK TOO.

Where can depression caregivers get emotional support?

ARAFMI – Association for the Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill

This group has been around for a long time and from anecdotal feedback, it appears that its support groups appear to be more focussed towards those supporting someone with a chronic illness such as schizophrenia. In their resources section they do have a very good overview of legislation pertaining to carers. They have support groups and discussion forum – including “living with a husband with anxiety and depression”.

Carers NSW

There is a Carer’s group in each state – each with a separate website. This group is targeted to all carers – not just those with a loved one with a mental illness. Having said that, because mental illness is a significant area they have dedicated group focussed on the needs of this community. They have a good listing of information and resources for carers. They also have a 6 carer phases interactive course.

Partners in Depression

I really like what I hear about this group. My friend Lucy Brogden is the patron for the organisation and first brought it to my attention. It is run by the not for profit Hunter Institute of Mental Health and the development of the course was jointly funded by beyondblue. It has also received some funding from NIB Health Fund.

Their centre piece is the Partners in Depression Program.

Partners in Depression is a group education program designed to address the information and support needs of those who care for or love a person experiencing depression. It is a six session program run by two facilitators in community settings.  

The six session format of the program includes coverage of the following topics:

• Session 1 - Introductions and building awareness
• Session 2 - Insight to caring, understanding depression and its treatments
• Session 3 - The caring and support experience
• Session 4 - The support experience and introduction to cognitive behaviour therapy
• Session 5 - Suicidality, self harm and communication strategies
• Session 6 - Help seeking, support and resources and planning for the future

I really like the fact that it has been developed knowing the significant stress that is placed on a caregiver and it provides practical steps. They have developed a train the trainer model which means there are now a number of groups run around Australia.

What’s been your experience?

Have you tried any of these groups? What’s been your experience? Have you found other places to get emotional support? How do you sustain your energy?

Kind Regards

Graeme Cowan

Tags: back from the brink, depression, effective depression treatments, graeme cowan, natural depression treatments, overcoming depression, partners in depression, partners with depression

In an alarming indictment of Australian risk management procedures, over 50% of employees don’t believe that there are systems and management practices in place to stop little problems turning into big ones, or in providing clear guidance for handling a crisis, an RU OK? at Work survey revealed.

It also showed that 13% of Australians feel that nobody at their workplace cares about them as a person.  Graeme Cowan, Director of R U OK? at Work says these figures have huge implications for morale and organisational productivity.

 Not happy Jan….

 

The survey, conducted in July by AMR Interactive, was designed to drill down to root causes of workplace stress. “The R U OK? at Work survey shows how these issues are manifesting,” says Cowan with 40% of people saying they typically feel tense or stressed out at work; with 10% highly stressed.

Cowan believes management need to do more to monitor staff and be proactive when noticing problems. “We’re seeing a real gap here, where people need to be checked in on. The survey shows the most vulnerable do not seek help. Managers are letting them fall through the gaps.”

This stress has substantial implications for productivity, with 75% of stressed workers reporting that they are not achieving all they are capable of. Only 30% of these stressed workers are satisfied with the work/life practices of their organisation compared to 80% satisfaction for non stressed employees.

 In a stark comparison, 77% of non stressed workers said their organisation encouraged physical wellbeing, whilst only 39% of stressed employees felt the same.

What can employees  do  to help colleagues?

 

1.       Learn how to ask “Are you OK?” to someone you think may be struggling and encourage them to seek expert help – to access free guides register your business at www.ruokday.com.au

2.       Encourage your team to participate in RUOK?atWork on Thursday September 15.

3.       Consider walking meetings. A Harvard study shows they produce high quality outcomes in 20% less time.

Implications for leadership

1.       Examine why most employees don’t believe there are systems in place to stop little problems turning into big ones.

2.       Consider how you can better encourage physical and mental wellbeing in the workplace

3.       How can you better communicate to employees the community benefits of your organisation’s mission and build in better recognition practices?

What is the RUOK? at Work Program?

On Thursday September 15 participating organisations will invite their employees to reach out to someone they are concerned about – either a loved one or a work colleague - and ask “Are you OK?”

In the time it takes to have a coffee, you can start a conversation that could change a life. Join 2000 organisations and register for free at www.ruokday.com.au to access full resources and merchandising material.

About the RUOK? at Work Survey

AMR interviewed 764 employed Australian residents living across all states and territory, to understand Australians’ experience of stress in the workplace from July 11-29, 2011. The data has been weighted to be representative of the employed Australian population. The questions were based on the findings of a global literature search that identifies root causes of harmful stress.

The full survey results and commentary can be down loaded.

For further information please contact Graeme Cowan on graeme@graemecowan.com.au or 0414 487 072.

 

 

Tags: anxiety at work, bounce back and thrive, depression at work, graeme cowan, lost productivity, ruok?atwork, ruok?day, stopping little problems becoming big ones, workplace mental health, workplace stress

In 2000 I was the Joint Managing Director of a Management Consulting Firm. It was also the year I crashed and burned and descended into unimaginable 5 years of hell which my psychiatrist described as the worst depressive episode he had ever treated. It’s hard to imagine that over that period I tried 23 types of medication, had 20 treatments for ECT (or shock therapy), was hospitalized 3 times and made a number of suicide attempts.

I was fortunate that my organisation was quite supportive, but I was on my own to navigate EAP services, Income Protection Insurance, Rehabilitation consultants, GP’s, psychologists, psychiatrists, “independent” psychologists and psychiatrists, Superannuation Trustees, Advisors to the Trustees, 3  Trustee Adviser Administrators, private detectives, forensic accountants, and Group Insurers. When you are in the black hole of depression clarity is impossible. I’ll let you in on a secret; I was the only one who had the vaguest idea what was going on. If I showed you the goat track of a process map that outlines how all these parties work together you would just shake your head in disbelief.

But enough about me…….

The World Health Organisation says that depression is the most disabling illness in the western world today. A recent study by Medibank Private shows that depression, bipolar, and anxiety disorders account for around 35% of all workplace productivity loss. In research I did in 2007, only 9% of people with depression were comfortable discussing it with work colleagues. We have the biggest cause of lost productivity in the Australian workforce, and only 9% of those affected feel comfortable talking about it. The ultimate pink elephant in the room. What is even more astonishing is that a study done by the University of Queensland, found that for every $1 spent on a program focussing on early intervention and treatment, over $5 in incremental productivity gains were realized versus a control group. Proposals that offer a 500% ROI never come across board tables for consideration, so why is reform “in the too hard basket”?

Industry superannuation funds representing over 6 million employees have banded together to form SuperFriend, so that a cohesive plan can be established to address this madness. It’s time for HR Managers to also show some chutzpah and in the spirit of Peter Finch from the movie Network start shouting from the windows “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more”.

EAP is a dinosaur

EAP can be a valuable service to those that are struggling but at best they only address the tip of the iceberg. Conducting “Resilience” and “Worklife Balance” courses can also be helpful, but as the seminal global study conducted by VicHealth called “Workplace Stress in Victoria” revealed, only a systems approach which incorporates prevention and early intervention strategies yields the best results for both the employee and employer.

To understand what is meant by a systems approach it is worth looking briefly at the legal industry.

A study completed by the Brain and Mind Research Institute in 2008 showed that 31% of lawyers have a high to very high emotional distress level compared to the general population of 16%.  To their credit, Australia’s 5 largest law firms have jointly established a group called “Resilience in Law” to start to address these disturbing figures. They have prepared an excellent video where a brave group of employees (including a couple of partners) have discussed living with a mood disorder. They are also endeavouring to train their employees to be more resilient. Admirable initiatives, but the systems approach requires a much deeper understanding of the root causes of depression. In my view, it’s hard to envisage any significant progress in the legal profession, when the insidious “billable hour” dominates. It is a system that rewards long hours and ineffective work, dominates Performance Management and Remuneration, and creates a culture of “fudging” to meet revenue targets. It’s  not congruent with good personal wellbeing. The system is contrary to all evidence, on the requirements to engender an engaged and motivated workforce in the knowledge economy.

What we can learn from Chairman Mao?

Addressing systemic problems requires a long term perspective, and considerable will. What can we do right now? In 1965, Chairman Mao, became frustrated by the inertia from the Chinese Health Ministry in addressing rural health problems. He sent many of the Western trained doctors to work in the rice paddies and replaced them with carefully selected villagers, who were trained in the basics of epidemic prevention, hygiene, sanitation, wound care and good nutrition. At first glance, this would seem to be another of the disastrous strategies of the Cultural Revolution, but a strange thing happened. These “barefoot doctors” came from the local villages and were chosen because of their credibility and influence in the community.  The simple preventative health changes they recommended were much more readily adopted than if they had been mandated from Peking. The World Health Organization regarded the barefoot doctor program as a “successful example of solving shortages or medical services in rural areas”.

I strongly believe if a similar strategy (in the context of a systemic approach) was followed by organisations it would also yield substantial benefits. In any organisation there are people that have tremendous influence which often has no correlation to where they sit on an organisational chart.

Imagine if these barefoot doctors were trained to help identify someone who may be experiencing extreme stress, and encourage them to visit a local GP or Psychologist with rigorous mental health diagnostic skills. Imagine if they knew that recovery from depression and anxiety wasn’t just dependent on taking a pill and seeing a psychologist but also depended on getting regular exercise, the emotional support of family, friends, and work colleagues, and learning how to relax. Imagine if they knew the importance of following up to see if the person had taken action and was following the proposed treatment plan.

Register for RUOK?atWork – Thursday Sept 15, 2011

RUOK?atWork is a not for profit initiative created to build a nation of barefoot doctors in the workplace to stop little problems turning into big ones. Last year almost 700 organisations including the CBA, Rio Tinto, Optus, NSW Fire Brigade, and Queensland Police participated. They invited their employees to reach out to someone they were concerned about – whether a loved one or work colleague – and ask “Are you OK?”. User friendly materials encouraged a 3 step process, Breaking the Ice, Asking Non Judgemental Questions, and Encouraging Action. Even more importantly, the resources provided simple guidance on how to find expert help. Ninety five percent of those that participated last year said they planned to do so this year (with 5% undecided).

Register for Free at www.RUOKday.com.au to access “How to ask RUOK?”

 

Tags: depression at work, mental health at work, mental illness at work, wellbeing at work