Natasha Devon, 42, is a mental health activist and broadcaster who hosts a Saturday night talk show on LBC radio. She has written her four self-help books and her two novels, has been awarded an MBE, and (until she was sacked for criticizing government policy) she was employed by the Department for Education. She was also a school mental health advocate. She Natasha launched her “Where’s Your Head At?” A campaign calling for improved mental health in the workplace. Here she shares her personal mission.
I myself have had mental health issues for decades. I started having panic attacks when I was 8 years old and suffered throughout my teenage years. My anxiety got worse and worse because I didn’t have a way to cope. Things got even worse when I went to university, and I developed an eating disorder.
I started modeling, and eating disorders were incredibly prevalent in that environment. Some of the first people I tried to talk to about it said, “Oh, everyone does that,” and as a result, bulimia became normalized.
It wasn’t until my mid-to-late twenties that I hit rock bottom, unable to work and estranged from most of my friends, and started devoting myself to getting better. At the time, there was much more awareness of eating disorders than anxiety disorders, so I initially received treatment for bulimia, but quickly realized it was a way to deal with my anxiety. However, I still continued to suffer until I was finally diagnosed with panic disorder at age 31. Suddenly, when I looked back on my life, a lot of things made sense.
panic attack
I had some adverse experiences in my childhood. My brother was born very prematurely, and my cousin, who was a year younger, died of cancer within six months. I’m the oldest of my siblings, so I thought, “I’m not going to make a fuss about this, I’m going to be helpful.” I take care of my siblings and help my parents. ” Because I didn’t deal with it emotionally, I started having panic attacks.
From this experience, I knew we needed to improve education about mental health, and we had to do something about it. At the time, the conversation focused on extremes, such as those depicted in movies like “Girl Interrupted.” We were never taught that everyone should take care of their mental health and that it’s something we should all be aware of.
Teens were telling me that their moms and dads were struggling with their mental health and they didn’t know how to talk about it because they weren’t as open as their generation.
Youth and mental health
I came up with the idea for the self-esteem team to start talking to teenagers and ask them what they were missing from their PSHE studies. I worked at an addiction treatment clinic where I was treated for bulimia, and worked with the lead therapist there, as well as doctors and experts in neuroscience and psychology, to put together lesson plans for schools.
And I thought, “This is not good enough.” Structural changes need to occur. ” Teens were telling me that their moms and dads were struggling with their mental health and they didn’t know how to talk about it because they weren’t as open as their generation.
That planted the seed for “Where’s Your Head At?”The advantage of giving lectures at schools is that students have Being there even if you don’t really want to be there. Next, I decided to tackle mental health in the workplace.
mental health stigma
People are afraid of the consequences of being honest about how they feel at work. It is illegal to discriminate against someone because they have a mental health problem, but can It’s not about promoting them or giving them the best projects to work on.
Stigma around mental health still exists in the workplace and society, and that needs to change. Although Gen Z is statistically more likely to be honest when they have a mental health problem, they have been dubbed the “Sick Note Generation”, suggesting they are lazy and hate work. ing.
The aim of my campaign “Where is your head?” was to achieve equal first aid for physical and mental health in all workplaces. I strongly believe that if we are required by law to provide first aid for physical health, we should also be required by law to provide first aid for mental health.
I strongly believe that if we are required by law to provide first aid for physical health, we should also be required by law to provide first aid for mental health.
In 2019, we received support from the then Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Luciana Berger, to debate the issue in a backbench business debate. The pushback from the government was that it was not enough and that mental health band-aids alone would not solve mental health problems in the workplace. I knew that, but I had to start somewhere. Their argument is that if it becomes law, that is all employers have to do and do nothing else to support staff with mental health problems. It was something I might think about.
That was in 2019 and then Brexit and Covid derailed everything, but as we were coming out of the pandemic, I was contacted by Dean Russell MP. He was elected on a manifesto promise to train 1,000 people in mental health first aid skills. electoral district. He became an ambassador for this campaign and it was once again brought up in Congress.
A recommendation that all workplaces should now have mental health first aiders has now been included in the government’s suicide prevention strategy. This is a major accomplishment and the closest we have come to changing the law.
Support staff growth
Our campaign also focuses on other aspects of workplace mental health, highlighting the changes employers can make to make workplaces more mental health friendly and encouraging employees to The purpose is to enable you to have a conversation with.
There is a difference between wellbeing and self-care, and one of my main objectives is to help businesses recognize the difference, as the two are often confused. Employers offering discounted yoga classes or pizza Fridays are great, sure, and it’s self-care, but they also help people have a manageable workload, or help co-workers who have experienced miscarriage, bereavement, or menopause. It is not the same as establishing a policy for
Sure, it’s self-care and great for employers to offer discounted yoga classes or pizza Fridays, but that’s not the same as ensuring employees have a manageable workload…
I worked for several major FTSE 100 companies, but when I actually stepped into the corporate world, I was like, “Wow, I’m about 10 years behind my education.” People were stunned by facts they thought everyone knew, such as the fact that 1 in 4 people experience a diagnosable mental health problem each year.
I think the relationship between happiness, productivity, and presenteeism (when you’re physically working but mentally so painful or distracted that you’d be better off not working) I’ve been researching. The associated costs to businesses are astronomical, amounting to billions of pounds each year.
In England alone, half a million new mental health first aiders have been trained across the country since we launched our campaign. I received a message the other day summarizing the type of feedback I’ve received. Some said they were dragged into the training and thought it was pointless, but in fact, the course was transformative for them because it encouraged them to think differently. About your own and others’ mental health.
Open your heart and feel safe
We have also encouraged people in manual labor, such as those working on construction sites, to hire mental health first aid trainers. When I went to a union event, men in their 50s were actually crying and talking about how relieved they were to be able to talk about their mental health at work. I was very impressed with it.
At one event, a man in his 50s tearfully expressed how relieved he was to be able to discuss mental health issues at work.
I also founded the Mental Health Media Charter. I worked with BT, Samaritans and Mental Health First Aid England on language and image guidelines for broadcast and print media when discussing mental health. More than 200 magazines, radio stations, blogs and organizations have signed up and pledged to follow these guidelines when talking or writing about mental health.
But my biggest accomplishment is when I give talks at schools and teenagers say, “That really made me think” or “That really helped me.” And being made a Fellow of my former university was an even prouder moment than receiving my MBE.
I will not rest until we see a reversal of what austerity has done to mental health services, and investment in things like sports centres, music and theater that have proven therapeutic value. I just want to make sure the world is as fair as possible.
Click here for details Natasha Devon And that where is your head? motion
