Mental Health in the Workplace: A Continuing Conversation

Abstract

Last year's panel generated a number of positive requests to continue our conversation in future conferences, and so we are once again offering a panel presentation and discussion on the subject of mental health in the workplace. Everyone has their own personal struggles; many of us have diagnosed mental health issues; and still too many have genuine health issues that remain undiagnosed. The good news is that there seems to be more open conversation around the issue of mental health within the workplace. However, we still have a ways to go, and many of us still find ourselves powering through our days without support, either because we don't think we need it, don't know how to request it, or because none exists. Maybe there's a better approach. This panel will once again be comprised of members of the SIGUCCS community who experience some form of mental health issue that has impacted their professional (and personal) lives. We will also have the perspective of a supervisor who has worked closely with one of his direct reports in order to accommodate their related needs. We'll spend our presentation time talking about how these conditions manifested themselves, their impact on our work, and how they were or are being addressed. We'll also talk about the importance of support structures in the workplace and how to seek them out. The remaining half of our time will be for open discussion: questions for members of the panel, or an opportunity for participants to share their own experiences. Please join in what we hope to be a safe environment for an important conversation.