I spoke to Gabe Howard, host of The Psych Central Show podcast and mental health activist, about how conversations around mental health have changed after the past several years, why people are more open to talking about it at work, why companies are creating mental health programs, the most common misconceptions about mental health and his best advice to HR leaders.
Diagnosed in 2003, Howard has made it his mission to put a human face on mental illness. Society often sees people living with mental illness at their worst and he works to add a more balanced view. Howard is the recipient of the 2014 Norman Guitry Award, given by Mental Health America to the person who shows exceptional leadership in promoting mental illness awareness and prevention in the community. He was a 2014 Mental Health Hero, designated by PsychCentral.com. He has received a Best of the Web – Blog award, and also placed second in HealthCentral’s LiveBold competition, a national contest awarding the top three people who “live bold” in spite of any health challenge.
Dan Schawbel: How have conversations around mental health changed in the past several years? Do you believe people are more open to talking about it today?
Gabe Howard: First, there is no denying that in some circles openly discussing mental health/mental illness has improved greatly. For example, look at all the online communities that are happily and openly discussing the topic.
But, a lot of those folks are still using nicknames and speaking anonymously. Online is a safe haven because there is the ability to prevent just anyone from knowing.
There is improvement because some schools are now teaching suicide prevention and discussing mental illness. There is more education. But, many schools (a majority) still believe that talking about suicide encourages kids to do it, etc.
Finally, the media and pop culture is just as ridiculous as ever. Sadly, there has been little improvement in those areas. And, sadly, the average American learns about mental illness from the media and pop culture.
I like to use analogies and I have describe our progress like a home loan. On day 1 of a 30 year mortgage you owe the most money. 10 years in you owe less money! But, you can't start telling people that your house is paid off. You have a long way to go. We must honor our progress and be thankful for it — but we also need to honor how far we have to go.
Schawbel: A manager told an employee that it was acceptable to take a "mental health day" and the email went viral. Why do you think so many people shared it? What are your reactions to that email exchange?
Howard: It's a sweet story and I'm going to assume that it happened exactly as it was written. But, if we change some words I think the situation would have played our quite differently. What if instead of "focus on my mental health" she had said "manage my schizophrenia." Also, most managers aren't going to bat an eye at most reasons employees give for taking two days off when they have a pool of time they are free to use for any reason.
And finally, mental health and mental illness are worlds apart. As a person who lives with bipolar disorder my symptoms often can't be cleared up in 2 days. From the time I was diagnosed until I reached recovery took four years. We have companies that won't stand by employees who have cancer, HIV, or complications from pregnancy — the track record for people with serious mental illness who needs 6, 12, 24 weeks off is not good.
Finally, "mental health day" has taken to mean stressed out, overworked, and tired. This woman absolutely did the right thing and her manager did as well. Stressed out, tired employees are not productive and we need to pay attention to our bodies and minds.
But, for me, I'm not going to be excited until someone writes a letter to their boss that they need 6 weeks off to manage bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and the manager writes back the exact same thing.
And then I won't be really excited until that is common practice and the coworkers send cards, flowers, and food.
Schawbel: More companies are creating "mental health programs" in the workplace like PwC. What are your thoughts about this?
Howard: A positive step in the right direction for sure. But, as my answer above indicates somewhat — "mental health" is like a cold, flu, sore throat and "mental illness" is cancer, HIV, diabetes. Everyone has mental health — everyone.
Not everyone lives with serious and persistent mental illness. I'm glad companies are allowing people to use their personal time off benefit for mental health and teaching people about mental health. But mental health and mental illness are worlds apart.
Schawbel: What do you think are the most common misconceptions of those battling mental health problems?
Howard: The most common is that we are violent. The second is that we can't contribute to society in any meaningful way and need to be cared for by others.
Both of those things are true for some. Just as some white males are violent — it's not the majority. We need to separate out the common occurrences from the worst case scenarios.
Schawbel: What are your top three pieces of career advice?
Howard: I'm going to answer this strictly from the perspective of living with mental illness in the workplace:
1. Be honest with yourself that you are a good fit for the job you choose. Part of a good fit is that both sides get what they need — make sure you can deliver. If high stress triggers your symptoms, pick a lower stress career (as an example). Partner with your employer so you can both be successful.
2. Document everything. Every doctors appointment, every day off, every interaction as it relates to your mental illness and the management of it. Keep your evaluations off site. If you did a good job and got an e-mail saying so — print it out and take it home. If something "goes wrong" you'll want proof that you were a good employee who did what you were supposed to do.
3. Engage Human Resources immediately. Give them proof of your mental illness, talk to them about your desire for privacy (if you want privacy), and ask them for reasonable accommodations that you need to be successful.
All in all, it's important not to assume that your employer is the enemy — but be smart, too. I once read a piece of life advice that said "Trust in God, but lock your car." I think the sentiment behind that saying applies here.
