SME Survey

What impact has mental health had on you and your business?

There is still stigma associated with mental health; particularly in the workplace – knowing how and what the appropriate way is of dealing with any issues that arise.

This survey looks at mental health awareness and asked three questions:

■ Have you/your family/your business been impacted by mental health issues?

■ Do you think mental health issues will rise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

■ Do you feel that services will be able to cope with the amount of people affected by mental health issues?

As you can see from figure1, the majority of people surveyed (102 respondents) have been impacted in some way by mental health issues. I guess this makes sense as most people will have come into contact with someone who has had or is suffering from a mental health condition. There are over 200 different classified forms of mental illness.

Unsurprisingly 92.4% believe that mental health issues will increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic (figure 2). Being “forced” into isolation way from family, friends and work colleagues; as well as being unable to do the “normal” things in life before the virus is going to impact people in different ways.

Worryingly less than 3% of those surveyed (figure 3) believe that the current level of provision for helping with mental health issues will be able to cope with this rise. This leaves an uncertainty about the well-being of anyone affected.

However, you can do your bit and help overcome any stigma associated with mental health and use resources that are easily available through the likes of Mental Health First Aid England; who provide a wealth of information and guidance to help you raise your awareness of mental health.

Get involved

To take part in the next survey – What Government schemes did you take advantage of? – visit here: https://forms.gle/ yJ9Y62HihEcDeYAR8 . The results will be shared in the next edition of this magazine.

Figure 1: Have you been impacted by mental health issues?

Figure 2: Do you think mental health issues will rise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Figure 3: Do you feel that services will be able to cope with the amount of people affected by mental health issues?