Looking After Your Mental Health, a Guide for Software Developers

Slides from my talk about Looking After Your Mental Health, a Guide for Software Developers given at PHP Yorkshire 2018

Transcript

1. Looking after your mental health, a guide for software developers Mark Railton
2. "Why is it so acceptable to tell the entire office about your suspected case of summer flu, but not approach your boss about the stress or anxiety that is making it hard for you to do your job?" Bryony Stone, Writer @railto
3. Mental Health Foundation “One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem in their lives, and nine out of ten of these people will suffer discrimination because of it.” @railto
4. Who am I? • Senior Software Developer @ Transpoco • Software Development Mentor @ Code Institute • Open Source Project Maintainer for joind.in • PHP-FIG Secretary • Volunteer with Open Sourcing Mental Illness (OSMI) @railto
5. Who am I not? • A Doctor • A Mental Health Worker • Qualified to make a diagnosis or advise on treatment @railto
6. However, I myself struggle with mental health issues and I am passionate about overcoming the stigma associated with mental health problems. @railto
7. Story time...
8. 57% of the general population believes that society at large is caring and sympathetic toward people with mental illness; US Centers for Disease Control @railto
9. only 25% of people with mental health symptoms believed the same thing. Society is less understanding and sympathetic regarding mental illness than it thinks it is. US Centers for Disease Control @railto
10. Pressure and competitiveness of creatives along with the insecurity of workflow can lead to anxiety and illness Dr. Victoria Tischler, University of West London @railto
11. 19.7% of UK Population over 16 showed symptoms of anxiety or depression: Increased from 15.5% in 1993 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, 2014 @railto
12. 5,965 suicides in the UK in 2016. Around ¾ of all suicides in the UK in 2016 were male Office for National Statistics @railto
13. Currently, suicide remains the most common cause of death in men aged between 20-49 in the UK. Office for National Statistics @railto
14. Mental Illness often goes untreated. Historically, treatment options for mental health compare unfavourably with those for physical conditions House of Commons Library Briefing on Mental Health Policy @railto
15. Mental Illness estimated to account for almost 25% of disease burden. Only 13% of NHS budget is spent on mental health services House of Commons Library Briefing on Mental Health Policy @railto
16. 54% of software professionals report suffering from depression, anxiety and insomnia. U.S. National Institute of Health @railto
17. • Offer a listening ear • Don’t pry and ask for information they are not prepared to offer • Seek help when necessary from HR or your manager How can colleagues help? @railto
18. • Create a culture that supports staff to be open about their mental health • Be able to speak sensitively and empathetically with someone about their mental health • Know how to support someone experiencing a mental health problem • Be willing to provide time off when necessary How can employers help? @railto
19. • Eat properly • Exercise • Get time away from your computer • Find someone you can talk to How can you help yourself? @railto
20. No Q&A. Feel free to speak to me in person if you’d like to discuss anything from this talk. @railto
21. • https://osmihelp.org • https://mind.org.uk • https://mentalhealth.org.uk • https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health Further Resources @railto
22. Please rate and review on joind.in at https://joind.in/talk/03209 @railto