Learning From Our Mistakes: A different approach to mental health

In recent years, the notion that emerging markets should seek to emulate the practices of high-income countries has been slowly discredited and nowhere does this ring truer than when it comes to the developed world’s approach to mental health.

While we may concede that there have been a few exceptions (Google’s ‘massage credits’ and Apple’s ‘wellness centre’ come to mind) and that things have improved over the last two decades, on the whole employers in the developed world do not entirely take the mental health of their workers seriously. Here in the U.K., one out of every two U.K. employees surveyed feels that their workplace ‘does not manage mental health issues well’, and H.R. staff are increasingly being forced to deal with the consequences of this omission [6]. Incredibly, some 53% of HR staff report finding themselves providing counseling to staff [6]. Moreover – and more importantly – it is not just individuals who have borne this burden; businesses and economies as a whole suffer from this approach. In effect, the Centre for Mental Health estimates that mental health problems cost U.K. employers £35 billion in 2016, while costing the U.K. economy £100 billion each year, accounting for 4.5% of GDP [4, 5].

It is this frightening truth about the cost of neglecting mental health that should, if nothing else, encourage emerging markets to learn from our mistakes. Admittedly, this will not be an easy transition. Indeed, many low and middle-income countries have thus far overlooked that mental health as part of successful business strategies, with Zimbabwe being a case in point: the country has just over 10 practicing psychiatrists and 15 clinical psychologists for 15 million citizens [3]. In spite of this reality, it is clear that emerging markets also have an unparalleled opportunity to make mental health a priority. Specifically, those countries undergoing extensive infrastructure transformations have the opportunity to incorporate a respect for mental health into their societies by building more facilities and investing in early diagnostic schemes. For their part, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to institute a proactive rather than reactive approach to mental health, so as to minimize the suffering of employees and the cost of mental health in terms of absenteeism and lost productivity [1, 2].

In effect, while some fear a lukewarm response from both government and business to this proposal, it is important to point out that we have already seen some successes. Namely, in Rwanda, in order to combat the exceptionally large rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among the population in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, the government made mental health problems a national priority [2]. The patient-centered services and the collaboration of business and government that resulted from this commitment helped to put Rwanda on the road to recovery and ensured a healthy work environment for future generations. The examples listed above illustrates the many good stewardship of mental health as part of business practices. Emerging markets can learn from our mistakes and make mental health a priority both at the national and corporate level, building more sustainable, holistic approaches to employee well-being.

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[1] Psychiatric Times (2002) Mental Health in the Developing World, http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/mental-health-care-developing-world

[2] Glaser, J. (2016). What Emerging Nations Can Teach Us About Health Care, https://www.hhnmag.com/articles/7896-what-emerging-nations-can-teach-us-about-health-care

[3] American Association for the Advancement of Science (2016), https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/tca-pia012116.php

[4] Mental Health Foundation (2015), Fundamental Facts About Mental Health, https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/fundamental-facts-15.pdf

[5] Centre for Mental Health (2017), https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/News/mental-health-problems-at-work-cost-uk-economy-349bn-last-year-says-centre-for-mental-health

[6] Chartered Management institute (2016), How to Improve the Mental Health of Your Staff, http://www.managers.org.uk/insights/news/2016/august/4-ways-to-improve-the-mental-health-of-your-staff