Written by: Mark Williams, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
New fathers are more likely to recognize and describe the physical symptoms of depression (such as feeling tired or losing weight) than women. Men may acknowledge feeling irritable or angry, rather than saying they feel low. Everyone feels ‘down’ occasionally but if you’ve been sad, moody, angry or unable to sleep or concentrate for more than a couple of weeks, it could be depression.
Men can tend to use negative coping skills Drink, Drugs, Avoiding Situations, Gambling, fighting and other issues. This of course and have an impact on the business and with many new fathers leaving their role due to the lack of support that they can suffer like mothers during this time.
Poor mental health cost UK businesses £42 billion last year, a staggering figure. It’s also important to note that this figure has risen by 17% since 2017, which sat at around £35 billion.
Mental health issues are costing businesses an enormous figure, with stress, depression and anxiety alone totaling 12.8 million lost days a year.
Depression is a serious and common condition which won’t get better by itself. If you had a broken arm or a deep cut on your foot, you wouldn’t expect that to heal without medical help. It’s the same with mental illness such as depression, you need to get help and the first point must be your doctor.
Paternal Mental health is about how we think, feel and behave. Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems. They are often a reaction to a difficult life event, such as becoming a new parent, but can also be caused by work-related issues.
Work can also aggravate pre-existing conditions, and problems at work can bring on symptoms or make their effects worse. New fathers who are employees will have a pre-existing physical or mental health condition when recruited or may develop one caused by factors that are not work-related factors.
Work-related stress and mental health problems often go together, and the symptoms can be very similar. Work-related stress can aggravate an existing mental health problem, making it more difficult to control. If work-related stress reaches a point where it has triggered an existing mental health problem, it becomes hard to separate one from the other.
Although stress can lead to physical and mental health conditions and can aggravate existing conditions, the good news is that it can be tackled. By taking action to remove or reduce stressors, you can prevent people becoming ill and avoid those with an existing condition becoming less able to control their illness.
By asking and supporting new fathers back to work and knowing about paternal mental health is where I can come in and help your business, which as I always tell people by supporting all new parents for their mental health has far better outcomes for the whole family and the development of the child. I have to say it will benefit and get the best out of your workforce and save management time with early prevention before it comes to crisis.
Mark Williams, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mark Williams is a leader in mental health while coaching people to grow after trauma also to find purpose in their lives after their experience and support. Williams is also Keynote Speaker, Author, Consultant, and International Campaigner. In 2004 he himself experienced depression and suffered in silence for years until he entered community mental health services. He founded International Fathers Mental Health Day and how are you dad campaign to make sure all parents have support for the whole family, which has far better outcomes for the whole family and the child's development. Williams has spoken on television and radio stations around the world while working with Doctor Jane Hanley, who have both published articles on Paternal Mental Health together. Williams was awarded Inspirational Father of the year and local hero at the Pride of Britain Awards in 2012, even invited to meet The Royal Family on World Mental Health Day also awarded the Point Of Light Award by the Prime Minister in 2019. Williams is a TEDx and Keynote Speaker and ambassador for Mother's Charity in the UK.
