[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/10275\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ETackling rising anxiety, burnout and depression in the workplace\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAsk a person working in a small business how things are going and the question might prompt a mix of responses. On the one hand, work in a small organisation can be enjoyable, exciting and creative. On the other, it\u2019s often lonely, hectic and stressful.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Ella Arensman, something about the nature of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) \u2013 whatever the sector \u2013 makes their employees vulnerable when it comes to psychological and emotional well-being. Unlike bigger companies, SMEs often lack dedicated support in this area.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESmall firms, big tests\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EArensman is professor of public mental health at University College Cork in Ireland and coordinator of the EU-funded \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/848137\u0022\u003EMENTUPP\u003C\/a\u003E project, which began in 2020 and runs through this year. With partners from across Europe, the initiative is trailblazing a new approach to helping SMEs tackle worker mental-health troubles including depression.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We hope MENTUPP can support people with their mental health,\u2019\u0026nbsp;Arensman said. \u2018Then maybe the progression of depression can be reversed.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe EU is home to around 23 million SMEs, defined as business that have fewer than 250 employees and annual turnover of no more than \u20ac50 million. Ranging from construction companies and hauliers to cafes and hairdressers, they make up more than 90% of EU businesses.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor four decades, Arensman has led international work into self-harm, suicide, depression, anxiety, substance misuse and the stigma surrounding mental health at work.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EShe has observed a rising trend in such challenges faced by workers, with serious consequences for the individuals themselves and for wider society.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EMaybe the progression of depression can be reversed.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Ella Arensman, MENTUPP\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDepression and anxiety are now the most prevalent psychological and emotional troubles faced in the workplace. One in five workers reports poor mental health.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe problem has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in 2020. Add to this the current cost-of-living crisis caused by high inflation and the result is a perfect storm for mental health.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe knock-on cost to the economy through lost productivity and absenteeism is eyewatering. According to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/mental-health-at-work\u0022\u003EWorld Health Organization\u003C\/a\u003E global estimates, $1 trillion (around \u20ac940 billion) in work-place productivity are lost each year as a result of depression and anxiety.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAgainst this stark backdrop, attention at the EU level is now focused on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/health.ec.europa.eu\/non-communicable-diseases\/mental-health_en\u0022\u003Eintervention\u003C\/a\u003E, which is where MENTUPP has a role to play.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThree vulnerable sectors\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project provides a free, online resource for SME employees. The goal is to plug a gap in well-being support in three sectors where workers are deemed particularly vulnerable: construction, health and information technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2019, Arensman published a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6728991\/\u0022\u003Estudy\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;on work-related risk factors associated with suicide.\u0026nbsp;Since then, she has been on a mission to improve support.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I just realised we needed to do much more work upstream before people get into these suicidal crises,\u2019 Arensman said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe MENTUPP team is drawing inspiration from a suicide-prevention programme first developed in Australia to help construction workers open up about anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor the past decade \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mates.org.au\/mates-vision\u0022\u003E\u2018\u2018Mates in Construction\u2019\u2019\u003C\/a\u003E (MIC) has been challenging stigmas surrounding mental health and raising awareness of techniques to boost well-being in a traditionally male-dominated sector where such conversations can be hard to foster.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EArensman calls its work as \u2018\u2018exceptional\u2019\u2019 in breaking down barriers and increasing the number of workers accessing support.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mates.org.au\/media\/documents\/MATES-Report-2020-Suicide-in-the-Construction-Industry-2001-2018-Vol-IV-July-2020.pdf\u0022\u003EA 2020 report by MIC and Melbourne University\u003C\/a\u003E found that, since the \u2018\u2018Mates\u2019\u2019 programme was introduced, suicide rates among construction workers across Australia had declined by almost 8%, bringing the level closer to the male average for many Australian states.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EArensman is now testing MENTUPP\u2019s own online support system. This offers hundreds of evidence-based materials, ranging from suggestions for destigmatising conversations about mental health in the workplace to increasing well-being for SME employees.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETailor-made tips\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn Barcelona, Spain, Dr Beatriz Olaya has diagnosed similar mental-health challenges faced by SME workers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018When we went into these small businesses, we realised there was just a huge need,\u2019 said Olaya,\u0026nbsp;a clinical psychologist.\u0026nbsp;\u2018People need psychological support and they very often don\u2019t know how to access it.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EShe coordinates an EU-funded project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/848180\u0022\u003EEMPOWER\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;that tackles similar issues as MENTUPP and\u0026nbsp;also began in 2020. Running until mid-2024, EMPOWER is an eHealth platform featuring a website, an app, an online video and text resources.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EPeople need psychological support and they very often don\u2019t know how to access it.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Beatriz Olaya, EMPOWER \u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter registering with the site or app, a person completes a series of questionnaires that help the project team to elicit details about current stress levels, depression, anxiety, sleep and psychosocial risk factors.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFrom there, the EMPOWER system creates a series of tailor-made tips to help people feel better. There is also support for those on sick leave as a result of mental-health problems.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen logging in each day, the user is prompted to indicate how he or she feels before being guided through psychological techniques to help lift spirits or keep the person on track. These include breathing and relaxation exercises plus popular daily goal-setting tasks to increase motivation.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you decide to run twice a week, by setting this new habit to improve your mood, the app reminds you and rewards you,\u2019 Olaya said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESome of the tips are based on cognitive behavioural therapy, which teaches skills for coping with difficulties by focusing on how thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect feelings and actions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOlaya and the team have developed EMPOWER with businesses in Finland, Poland, Spain and the UK. Multi-language versions of the app are now being tested with more than 600 people in the four countries.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We want to show that it\u2019s both low-cost and effective,\u2019 Olaya said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHopeful signs\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAs for MENTUPP, its support system also includes an app and the whole package is still being tested. Results are due later this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EArensman then expects further improvements and refinements to be made before the system can be deployed much more widely. In a positive preliminary sign, she recalled how a small Irish construction company that has used the package was better able to support the mental well-being of one of its workers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018They told us that, if they hadn\u2019t had these resources, they would not have identified the warning signs,\u2019 Arensman said. \u2018With these resources, they could better identify what was going on and intervene.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFeedback from other users in MENTUPP\u2019s partner countries has been similarly encouraging. Arensman is hopeful that the project will ultimately prove as effective as \u2018\u2018Mates\u2019\u2019 in Australia in reducing self-harm and suicide and increasing job satisfaction and productivity.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019re not there yet, but we will be very soon we hope,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU. 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