| Work plays an important role for a person
| |
| | psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and
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| recovering from a mental illness. The
| |
| | professor of psychiatry at UCLA Medical
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| workplace provides a social support
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| | School, "Not only are friends and family
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| system and the opportunity for people to
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| | members very capable of handling these
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| regain their sense of self-esteem,
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| | crises that come along, but every once in
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| control and self-worth.
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| | a while, you run into someone who has a
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| Although in some more severe instances a
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| | great understanding of human nature."
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| return to work is not possible, once on
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| | Although most people may not be
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| the path to recovery, many individuals
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| | experienced with mental illness, says Dr.
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| can benefit tremendously from working
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| | Gorney, "They have had decades of
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| again. A supportive workplace can offer a
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| | experience trying to figure out people's
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| sense of stability that is otherwise hard
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| | minds. Never undersell your own intuition
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| to find.
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| | and never ignore your own experience," he
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| The reintegration of an employee into
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| | advises.
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| the workplace after recovery again
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| | Before you can help the situation, it
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| requires the employer's flexibility.
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| | helps to have a diagnosis. "In mental
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| Often the process has to be gradual. The
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| | health," Dr. Gorney says, "the average
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| workload may have to change temporarily
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| | person doesn't realize that there are
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| and hours and days worked may have to be
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| | very specific diagnoses for feeling
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| altered. Job sharing and people working
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| | terrible emotionally." What you do about
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| with an emergency fill-in person are
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| | your condition, or someone else's,
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| considerations depending on the
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| | depends on the diagnosis. "A generalized
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| individual's and employer's needs.
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| | anxiety state could have a medical basis,
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| The benefits of understanding
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| | a stress basis, or could be a result of a
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| The benefits to the employer of
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| | conflict that the individual is placed in
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| accommodating the return of an employee
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| | by someone else," Dr. Gorney explains.
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| are many. They avoid the added costs of
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| | While traumatic life changes, such as
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| hiring a new employee, and training and
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| | loss of a spouse, parent, job or health
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| raising him or her to d level of
| |
| | often trigger emotional emergencies,
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| productivity comparable to that of an
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| | physical illnesses may also precipitate
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| experienced worker. Overall morale will
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| | them, says Dr. Gorney. "Certain sudden
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| rise as employees see the care placed on
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| | anxiety experiences may be due to
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| the individual, and coworkers share in
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| | physical causes, such as the rare adrenal
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| the challenges faced by the returning
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| | tumor," he says. In the case of sudden
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| staff member.
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| | manic psychosis, such as when someone
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| Employers and employees alike will
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| | with a very high fever is deluded and is
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| always benefit from breaking down the
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| | physically combative, they may need acute
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| stigma attached to mental illness in the
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| | medical care to save them from a
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| workplace. Removing the barriers to
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| | fatality. Dr. Gorney advises restraining
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| education, open discussion, flexibility
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| | the individual and calling 911 for
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| and acceptance will ultimately allow
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| | paramedics in these cases. Individuals
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| those needing medical attention and
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| | who become suicidal or show signs of
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| social support to seek help and receive
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| | acute onset depressive psychosis must
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| it.
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| | also be restrained while someone calls
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| Everyone knows when to go to the
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| | 911 for help.
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| hospital in a physical emergency, but
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| | In less dramatic emotional emergencies,
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| what are the warning signs of emotional
| |
| | such as when people experience modest
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| emergencies? When and how do we get help
| |
| | depression or anxiety and/or start
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| for these urgent conditions? Most of us
| |
| | exhibiting changes in diet, weight,
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| fear and/or dread mental illness, so it's
| |
| | sleep, job attendance, mood and behavior,
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| hardly surprising that emotional
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| | individuals can seek a psychiatric
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| emergency is a widely taboo topic. This
| |
| | referral from a primary care provider.
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| accounts for why many of us lack the
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| | "If you're not getting referred," Dr.
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| insight and resources to deal with urgent
| |
| | Gorney says, "you have to push on it.
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| emotional situations in our own lives, or
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| | Speak with your care manager in the HMO
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| in the lives of our friends and families.
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| | or insurance person who can authorize
|
|
| |
| | that kind of a consultation."
|
| It benefits all of us, however, to
| |
| | Many health insurance plans fail to
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| understand how we can respond to these
| |
| | cover psychiatric referrals and some
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| events, which can be just as
| |
| | people lack insurance altogether, but
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| life-threatening as severe accidents or
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| | low-cost resources can be located via
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| physical illnesses. According to Roderic
| |
| | your local or state psychiatric society.
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| Gorney, M.D., a Los Angeles, Calif.
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| |
|
