Mental health and work

I do suggest that you speak to the Employee Support Service.

If you feel you are suifficinetly unwell that you cannot go in to work then call in sick and book an emrgency appointment with your GP, as you would with any other type of illness.

If the situation is that ou are strggling and unsure about whether you can do the job, then wait for the referral *you could also ask your Gp whether there are any private services which might be available more quickly, if that is something you could afford)

If you can, try to work out whether the spike in your depression and stress is due to the strain of starting a new job and having to familiarise yourself with a whole new set of people, processes and expectations, or whether it is a more fundemental mis-match of you and the job.

If you feel that it is not going to work and that you are not going to b able to do this job and remain healthy, then it is worth starting to look seriously at looking for a different role - it may not be as well paid, but you spend a huige proportion of time in work and being in a job which makes you ill is not a good idea, if you can possibly avoid it.

Are there any less senior roles within your current organisation which you feel you would be better suited to?

Are there specifc parts of your current job that are causing serious issues for you?

Ar there other people doing the same job who you can make friends with and ask for practical advice?

Who did you speak to who told you that that is what you are paid for? Was this your line manager, a peer, or a friend? Is there someone else you can speak to?

If you can't do the job without getting ill you are not 'letting pople down' anymore than you would be letting them down if you could not do the job becuase you got cancer or pneumonia or had a heart attack - but it may mean that you *can't* do the job and that it is healthier for you to lok elsewhere.

Could you afford to take a pay cut to take a less stressful job?

If there's an EAP, the company will not know WHO has accessed it, ever.



If you have to phone HR and ask for how to access it, that information should still remain confidential, and the EAP certainly won't be saying who has accessed it.



If anything, it shows a sensible approach in a new job: you feel overwhelmed, you talk to someone about it. Please use all the help you can get.

Two years ago I signed on sick with depression & work related stress. Occupational Health (OH) did the diagnosis but for some reason didn't tell me and or I didn't understand what they had said. I was off work for 6 months and didn't go back to the job that I was doing.

To recover I eventually (after being quite reluctant) made use of my employers EAP membership and that fast tracked "free & confidential" counselling. For me it was very useful.

All the literature I read suggested getting outside. So I did go walking every day in all weathers including during the beast from the east. My friends were also there for me as well.

The OH doctor did suggest drug therapy but after telling him about my other medical condition he agreed that I shouldn't risk that getting worse.


As my GP was responsible for fit notes I kept him informed and he was ok with the self help measures that I was doing.

So OP if you need to be off sick to get better then do that. Use all the resources that your employer has including EAP and Occupational Health