Nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from some form of mental disorder, according to latest data from the United Nations.
It’s widely accepted that the Covid-19 pandemic led to a deterioration in mental fitness for many around the world, with stress, anxiety, and the fear of the unknown common denominators for this.
At a grassroots level, we’re learning to become comfortable talking about the uncomfortable, but we still have a way to go.
The use of telehealth services accelerated dramatically during the pandemic.
For many patients, phone consultations sufficed, and the global use of telemedicine was 78 times higher in February 2021 than it had been a year earlier.
Surprisingly, it has since stabilised at that vastly increased level, most likely due to familiarity and convenience.
While this points to positive changes for our physical health, what does this mean for our mental health?
Mental health
According to global research conducted with Ipsos MRBI, over a third of employees claim to have experienced poor mental health since the pandemic began.
However, with limited face-to-face appointments available in-person during this period, those seeking help had to look for alternative support routes through the use of telemedicine and telehealth platforms.
Among those surveyed who attend counselling, the benefits identified of using online or remote counselling services were privacy, convenience, and reduced risk of contracting Covid-19.
We live in a world that is constantly changing. As new technologies emerge, insurance providers have a responsibility to embrace and implement those new tools to meet the growing needs of customers.
People live increasingly hectic lives and are busy juggling responsibilities. As a result, mental health falls down the priority list.
Telehealth can be a convenient option for those that can’t avail of the typical mid-week appointment slot, have limited access to transport, or are simply more comfortable seeking help from the sanctuary of their own home.
However, while telemedicine is often seen as the future of healthcare delivery, we do need to be mindful that not everyone has access to the equipment needed and, as such, insurers need to continue to be flexible with their policies.
The goal is to ensure customers have access to health supports in a way that works for them.
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP)
Employers also have a responsibility to ensure their employees have access to support for their mental health, such as employee assistance programmes (EAPs).
However, it’s not just enough to make these services available.
It needs to be made clear to employees exactly how they can access them, and employers need to ensure that their staff know that if they need to use an EAP or other such services, they can do so entirely confidentially.
We want to continue doing our part in squashing the stigma around mental health.
We were surprised more people did not access free counselling through their EAP provider during the pandemic when people’s mental health was more under pressure than normal.
It made us think, do people really understand the different scenarios that counselling can help with and how it all works?
With the historical stigma around mental health, is it really any wonder that there hasn’t been a lot of clear and simple education around the topic of counselling to date?
We live in a busy world, and so it is often easy to overlook our mental health.
However, managing your mental fitness should always be a priority. Accessing support is a sign of strength, and we all need to do our part to encourage uptake.