UN MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGY

About:

• UN staff struggling with anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder have reported feeling isolated and ashamed, with no one to turn to for help.
  
  
• Mental health diagnoses account for almost a quarter of all days lost to sick leave, and were the leading cause of disability pensions.
  
  
• Reducing stigma is the top priority of the strategy as the staff would not feel prepared to seek help or disclose their feelings until stigma was overcome.
  
  
• The strategy also underscores the need to care for each other, and to reach out to colleagues who may be in distress.
  
  
• Also, it is important to educate about the early warning signs of mental illness.