Mental Health Management

INTRODUCTION

1.        Occupantional health in a workplace is very significant in order to maintain workers health and increase productivity of the company. As prescribes in Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 Section 15 (1), it shall be the duty of every employer and every self-employed person to ensure, so far as is practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all his employees.^[1] Health issues in the workplace have been issues that being discussed and debated as the number of health illness are increasing yearly.^[2] With the effect of economy turn down locally and globally, it may also affect the worker well-being and mentally work without taking care of their health in order to sustain daily life and survive.

2.        Health hazard is one of the hazards that need to be identified in workplace. Failing to identify these hazards will result other type of injuries and in worst-case may result with fatality. Working associated with health hazard may cause the occupational diseases or may aggravate to existing ill-health of non-occupational origin. Malaysia as a developing country has increasingly mechanized especially in industrial sector and workers as the production tools has put their life into health risk.

3.        Among the potential health hazard that can be identified in industrial sector are air contaminants, chemical toxicities, biological hazard from virus, bacteria and fungi, physical hazard such as excessive level of noise, vibration, radiation and ergonomic hazard such as Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) and Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD). Recently, the number of psychosocial hazard such as mental illness and mental disorder has increasingly resulted and pose anxiety to the employer or company management.^[3]

PROBLEM STATEMENT

4.        Mental Health or Illness has increasingly recently due to problem raise such as mental stress, depression, anxiety and etc. This phenomenon creates psychosocial issue especially in a developing country. An analysis on health hazard with regards to mental health and factors contributed is needed in order to find suitable solution on this phenomenon.

DEFINITION

5.        World Health Organization defines positive mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. Employees with good mental health will perform better in their work.”^[4].

6.        On the other hand, mental illness is a health issue which can significantly influence how people feel, think and behave. It is commonly used to refer to diagnosable conditions such as mood disorder, anxiety disorder and psychotic disorders.^[5]

DISCUSSION

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

7.        Case Appreciation: Mr. X was promoted to his new position as a Supervisor. He was transfer to new department and tasked to supervise 50 workers with various experince. The management had asked him to develop new set of work procedures for his new department in order to increase the productivity. However, he was facing a lot of resistance from his team as majority of them were senior workers and di not respect Mr. X much. Subsequently, he had been going to see the company panel doctor for the last few months. He complainted of his poor sleep, lethargic, poor appetite, feeling palpitation and headache. For that reason, Mr. X had been absent from work frenquently. However through medical examination, his blood pressure, his lung and heart was normal and no significant laboratory finding.

8.        Analysis of the case: Mental health symptoms can be traditionally been divided into two groups  either neurotic or psychotic symptoms. Neurotic is about those symptoms which can be regarded as extreme forms of normal emotional experiences such as depression, anxiety or panic. These conditions formerly referred to as neuroses are now more frequently called ‘common mental health problems,’ although this does not always mean they are less severe than conditions with psychotic symptoms. Whereby,  ‘psychotic’ symptoms which less common is interfered with a person’s perception of reality with the person seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling or believing things that no one else does. Psychotic symptoms are often associated with ‘severe mental health problems.’^[6]   

9.        Based on the situation that Mr. X is facing, it is a sign of mental health problem is occured in the workplace. The consequences of his mental illnes can be identified based on his frenquently absent from work even thouht his blood pressure and lung and heart are normal. Without realising, he is having a mental illness probably depression and anxiety.

10.        Depression is used to describe a range of moods, ranging from low spirits to more severe mood problems that interfere with everyday life. Symptoms may include a loss of interest and pleasure, excessive feelings of worthlessness and guilt, hopelessness, morbid and suicidal thoughts, and weight loss or weight gain.^[7] It can be assumed that Mr. X is having the following core symptoms such as low mood, fatigue or lack of energy and lack of interest or enjoyment in life. These symptoms is diagnosed if at least two out of three core symptoms have been experienced by Mr. X for most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks.