Creative industry specific mental health solutions
As the creative industries experience unique industry specific mental health challenges so should the industry mental health solutions.
The mental health of Australians has risen to the forefront of workplace policy in recent years, with employers striving to invest more in employee well-being. Despite the gains, mental illness continues to climb, with a higher percentage of working Australians reporting a mental illness this year than previous [1]. One possible explanation for this inconsistency is that each industry has its own combination of dangers and expectations that affect employees' mental health, and a "one size fits all" solution may not be the ideal approach.
So, what are the mental health statistics in your industry? And how can you modify your mental health approach based on this data?
The prevalence of various mental diseases varies by business and industry.
There are a few factors which contribute to the risk and type of mental illness within working sectors, such as demographics, culture, workload, support, environment and safety [1] [2]. Such characteristics differ by job type, and a look at your industry might provide you some insight into your employee's well-being.
Almost 1 in 5 workers in the media, marketing & creative industries show signs of severe stress
Within the media, marketing and creative industries, anxiety conditions are the most prominent, with 29% more showing symptoms of mild to severe anxiety than the national average [3] and 18% generally showing signs of severe stress. Depression also remains quite high within the sector, with 20% more workers diagnosed compared to the wider community. Factors such as job satisfaction, stress/pressure, limited amount of social connections and overworking have all been contributed to this statistic [4], often leading to burnout.
Mental health can be addressed by tailoring your mental health strategy within your workplace.
Whilst offering general mental health programs within the workplace is a great start to managing staff wellbeing, identifying the key stressors, risk factors and mental health conditions within your industry, and tailoring the approach around this, has been shown to have the greatest impact on overall mental health [5] [3].
After all is said and done, keep in mind that these are broad overviews of your sector, and data and risk factors can vary from company to company. As you begin to incorporate further mental health techniques in the workplace, it's critical to have open conversations with your employees and examine how you can further personalise your internal approaches to create a secure environment for your workers.
[1] Superfriend. (2021). Workplace National Report 2021. https://itw2021.superfriend.com.au/#ReadIndustryPage
[2] Vitality Works. (2019). High-Risk Industries & Demographics for Poor Mental Health. https://vitalityworks.health/vitality-services/high-risk-industries-demographics-of-poor-mental-health/
[3] Everymind. (2018). Results released from first major study into mental health and wellbeing of Australian media, marketing and creative industries. https://everymind.org.au/news/results-released-on-first-major-study-into-mental-healthy-of-australian-media-marketing-and-creative-industries
[4] Tynan, R., & Thienel, R. (2018). Mentally Healthy 2018: A Study into the Creative, Media & Marketing Industry. Never Not Creative, Everymind & UnLtd, https://everymind.imgix.net/assets/Uploads/Mentally-Healthy-2018-Summary-of-Key-Findings.pdf
[5] Mental Health Foundation. (2020, October 9). Workers need a tailored approach to mental health, study finds. Iosh Magazine. https://www.ioshmagazine.com/2020/10/09/workers-need-tailored-approach-mental-health-study-findS
