Bengaluru, October 10th, 2017: On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, DocsApp - a mobile app that allows users to access specialist doctors via chat or call in under 30 minutes, has rolled out an initiative to ensure that its employees are in the pink of health, both- physically and emotionally.
With a concern towards promoting the awareness of mental health, the healthcare start-up in a bold move has decided to consider mental health care leaves as part of their sick leaves given to the employees. A study conducted by the WHO revealed that over 300 million people suffer from depression. A negative working environment may lead to physical and mental health problems. Mental health issues, unlike physical health issues, will not subside over time with only the use of medicines. Seeking help from a specialist and following the treatment is vital. With our fast-paced lives and the constantly evolving work environment, it is crucial to create awareness about mental health.
Organizations need to understand the importance of mental health. With the changing lifestyle and the emergence of the 'urban grind', individuals are subjected to copious amounts of stress. Coping with these changes is not an easy task and some of them succumb to mental health issues. Satish Kannan, CEO DocsApp, says, "We automatically associate 'sick leave' with someone being physically ill. It has been drilled into us that, when we're sick we need to consult a doctor and take the prescribed medicines. However, we never associate a person being sick to a mental health issue. Lack of awareness about mental health issues has hindered people from seeking help from a specialist when they're mentally disturbed. Getting over a mental health issue is a four-step process- Awareness, acceptance, seeking help, undergoing treatment patiently, and most importantly maintaining consistency in following the treatment. We need to educate people and ensure they understand that mental health issues have to be treated, a specialist has to be consulted and the person has to undergo the treatment consistently for at least 6-8 weeks.”
DocsApp by way of this initiative thereby encourages its employees to take sick leaves to tend to their mental well-being. It urges its employees to take a break and come back feeling afresh and beaming with positivity. We believe in leading by example says Mr. Kannan, and that everyone in the team is entitled to a “Stress Day Off” so that they can use these leaves to take time off to pay heed to their mental well-being and also simply to blow off some steam. This way the team stays uber productive and continues to do life-changing work in the healthcare industry.
Other organizations should draw inspiration from DocsApp and start rolling out sick leaves for employees to take time off to pay attention to their mental health. Workplaces that promote mental health and support people with mental disorders are more likely to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity and benefit from associated economic gains. Organizations should provide solutions like DocsApp to their employees, the emotional wellness packages offered by DocsApp ensures that users pay undivided attention to their treatment do not stray away during the course of the sessions.
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