Global Health & Pharma
Dr Leigh A Neal, Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director at Smart TMS in London, features in the May edition of Global Health & Pharma Magazine (GHP).
The article looks at The Importance of a Healthy Mind in Business – an environment which is highly stressful, putting pressure on workers’ mental health; even though depression and anxiety can seriously affect employees’ ability to do their jobs.
In this article, Dr Neal explains:
“The modern workplace is a highly stressful environment. Almost one in five us are suffering with severe work stress at any one time1. Work moves faster than ever before and with the advent of modern technology our work days are lasting longer and sometimes, not finishing at all.
“A PWC survey of young people in the workplace found that 73%2 felt they were required to be contactable at all times. Being able to work from anywhere has come to mean being expected to work everywhere. I’ve had patients describe offices in which time is logged in 6 minute increments and work phones are expected to be on up to 18 hours a day.
“But a stressed or anxious brain can cause all kinds of problems for the workplace and for your life in general. Workplace stress is costing the UK, both financially and in terms of our health. According to a 2014 study an estimated 11.3 million work days a year are lost in the UK to stress and anxiety or depression3. That’s costing businesses more than £3.7 billion.”
Enlightened businesses are investing in their employees wellbeing with initiatives including mindfulness and yoga in the workplace. It has been shown that businesses receive a 200% return on every £1 invested in their employees’ wellbeing.
There are also a few things that people can do for themselves. Dr Neal gives his advice.
Tips for Better Mental Health in the Workplace
- Take control of your work schedule and hours.
“It may sound obvious, but taking time away from work could have huge benefits for your mental wellbeing. Look at the parts of your workload that are taking you time and ask yourself whether you could streamline them or hand them over to a colleague. Be tough about it. Don’t hold on to workloads that are consuming your energy.”
- Do something you love for yourself
“You don’t necessarily have to go to yoga or take up meditation (although it certainly wouldn’t hurt), but some time doing things that you love can help re-set your focus and give your mind a break. Creative pursuits can be particularly helpful.”
- No tech in the bedroom
“Many people will find the suggestion almost impossible to follow, but the increasingly popular ‘no tech in the bedroom’ rule is very helpful. One in three of us are waking up and looking at our phone in the middle of the night. Move your charger outside of the bedroom and buy an alarm clock. Not having the option to look at the screen in the early hours can help you to get more sleep and feel better rested for the day ahead.”
Depression Treatment
A variety of treatment options are now available for persistent stress or depression. Medication or psychotherapy are the best known options, but there are other alternatives too. Dr Neal explains:
“If you want to avoid taking long-term medication or time consuming psychotherapy you could look into Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. This is the treatment I work with in my London clinic. It’s clinically proven, NICE approved and it uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the specific areas of the brain associated with mental problems including stress, anxiety and depression.”
View Article
This article was also published at GHP Magazine http://www.ghp-magazine.com/2017-ghp-may-2017′ May Edition – Article on page 32.
DR LEIGH A NEAL MD FRCPSYCH
Dr Leigh A Neal is a consultant psychiatrist and Medical Director of Smart TMS, a London-based clinic offering Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation – a non-medication-based mental health treatment.
He has been a Consultant Psychiatrist for over 20 years with a career including work within the Armed Forces, NHS and Independent Sector.
SMART TMS CLINICS
Smart TMS is a specialist provider of TMS treatment in London. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy (rTMS) is a technological breakthrough in the treatment of depression with a variety of further potential treatment applications.
Smart TMS is located within The Smart Clinics in South Kensington/Brompton Cross.
CONTACT US
For any queries or to book an appointment, please contact us:
Tel: 0345 222 5678
Email: info@smarttms.co.uk