From the workplace
“No-one knew what was happening to me as it’s still a stigma and sensed as a sign of weakness; you just didn’t discuss that kind of thing. Becoming more aware of stress and mental health issues has also been a problem for my colleagues.”
Working as a builders’ apprentice, Geoff’s bosses sensed there was something different about him. “One of them said they couldn’t ‘figure me out’, ” Geoff recalls.
A series of intimidating incidents followed. “They wanted to know what pressed my buttons, so their way of doing that was to look for ways to antagonise me and set me off. That was their way of dealing with it,” Geoff says.
Geoff eventually disclosed to his employers that he had a mental health issue. “I cracked,” he says. “I didn’t have an episode, but I ended up telling them because I was pressed so hard.”
Dismissed from his job, Geoff found another apprenticeship under an employer who was much more accepting, [1]
“There are things that make them good at the job and things that make them bad at the job, but mental illness is not a factor that is going to impact on the job if the right supports are in place.” [2]
Audrey
