Losing a job to mental health issues is detrimental to both the employer and the worker, so Richmond Foundation is stepping in to help prevent the damage as much as possible.

Sacked employees not only lost their source of income but also risked losing the sense of purpose and self-worth that came with work, Richmond’s CEO Stephania Dimech Sant told the Times of Malta.

“On the other hand, the impact of losing a person who has been with the organisation for years is a blow to the company, as it has to invest in new efforts to train and employ someone else,” she added.

According to the World Health Organisation, mental health problems are one of the top challenges in public health – affecting 25 per cent of the population every year.

Being aware of the symptoms and knowing when to take a break could help avoid a crisis.

Sometimes it was more cost-effective to give an employee some time off, during which they could rest or follow the needed therapy, rather than to keep them at work and risk losing them, Ms Dimech Sant said.

She insisted on the importance of lunch breaks at work and noted that simple brain teasers and puzzles could engage the brain completely, taking it off all other problems.

Ms Dimech Sant also noted that people with severe mental health conditions were proven to die up to 20 years earlier.

Although not all mental conditions can be avoided, as some have a genetic predisposition for mental health issues, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and mental well-being is key.

Ms Dimech Sant compared coping with mental issues to something people are more familiar with: diabetes.

“If you lead a healthy lifestyle, you can manage diabetes. But if you start loading up on sweet pastries as soon as you wake up, you will not start the day on the right track,” she said.

“The same applies to stigma.

“People with diabetes are not put to the side; chances are that if someone is invited over by a person with diabetes, they will take sugar-free pastries with them

“In a similar fashion, we should adapt to people with mental health issues who live among us and work with us.”

Unfortunately, some people are afraid of speaking up, as they fear losing their job, and this eventually impacts their productivity. This is where Richmond steps in.

The foundation runs a programme through which, among other things, companies can provide psychological sessions to their employees while observing full confidentiality.

Richmond Foundation also provides companies with information about the type of recurrent issues employees are facing and helps them understand how to deal with them.

Ms Dimech Sant noted that employees did not abuse the service, which was what some companies feared.

A total of 41 companies enrolled for the service last year, with 325 people receiving mental health support, including 93 in managerial positions.

Richmond, last year, also started providing a Mental Health First Aid service to companies and the public.

About 1,000 people applied, half of whom were employees.

The next series of these first aid training sessions will take place in August.

Log on to www.richmond.org.mt/mhfa for more information about the service.