Introduction

In adulthood, we spend over two-thirds of our waking time at work. Work can be a source of enrichment, development and joy, but also of great suffering.

Work is not only remunerative and useful; for many of us, it is also a quest for identity in which we are seeking greater meaning for our lives, to contribute to something greater than oneself. The proof is in that question we so often ask when meeting someone for the first time: “What do you do?”

In this day and age, where we are bombarded by statistics about the increase in health problems and mental illness at work, each one more worrisome than the last, everyone wants to know: Who is responsible for the mental health of people at work?

Like a number of authors, at the Mental Illness Foundation we believe it is a shared responsibility, we must be aware of the reality and there must be a will among individuals and organizations to take action. However, to get there, many barriers must be broken down, because there is no single cause of mental illness; a number of factors contribute to its onset, often in related areas: sociology, psychology and biology. But when we understand the complexity of mental illness, we can better support people who show early symptoms of it and encourage them to seek the professional help they might need.

Managers are not held to “care for” members of their staff who show signs of depression or other mental illnesses, because this is beyond their scope of expertise. However, the Foundation believes that their role is in part to react without prejudice to these signs to direct their employees to professionals and support them in their efforts to get help.

This is why the Foundation decided to act by offering a prevention and awareness program for the workplace, Nothing's Working?, to detect mental health problems and encourage adults to seek professional help and if necessary, receive proper treatment. The earlier the detection, the more effective the treatment and the lower the risk of relapse.

Many testimonials confirm the need for concrete action to demystify mental illness in the workplace, where most adults spend their days. It is essential to stop the prejudices and guilt often associated with mental illness to promote their detection and acceptance by those who are sick and those around them that, just like other illnesses like diabetes, mental illness can be treated.

Eliminating negative perceptions, taboos and myths about mental illness that have been around for years is therefore primordial for the Foundation. Our Nothing's Working? program is in keeping with this philosophy, because every life is unique and should be lived to the fullest.