The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
"The Right Not to Remain Silent" is a series of candid memoirs by lawyers who have lived with mental health and addiction issues.
One of the authors, Beth Beattie, senior counsel to the Ontario Minister of the Attorney General, joined CTV Morning Live's Rosey Edeh to discuss it.
The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Rosey Edeh: This is really something, that a group of attorneys would get together and write a book about the right to not remain silent. Many times, you have a case, you might tell your clients, 'You need to let us do the talking. Be quiet,' but attorneys have gotten together to talk about why it can be very important to talk about your mental health in the workplace.
Beth Beattie: Absolutely.
RE: Can I just talk to your about your background and your journey through mental health issues while working?
BB: I've been a lawyer for 30 years and when I was a first-year associate at one of the big Bay Street firms, I suffered from a very deep depression and I got help for it and I went on anti-depressants and I did very well. About six years later, I had a floridly psychotic episode, meaning I lost touch with reality and long story short, I ended up being admitted to the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, where I was very well taken care of.
The problem I had was two themes played out. I was convinced I was going to get sick again, either manic or depressed. I'm no one special; a lot of people with bipolar disorder relapse, so I was afraid of that. I was also mortified at the thought that people would find out about my condition because as a lawyer, I'm supposed to be seen as unflappable and strong, and if I worry about my clients, opposing counsel knowing about my condition, they may think there's a chink in the armour, we're going to go after her.
RE: When did you get to the point when you said you can talk about this?
BB: It took 14 years and during those 14 years, I was a condensed ball of angst, worrying about people finding out. When I turned 50, I was financially secure, I had been at my job for awhile, they knew I worked hard, so I thought I would take the plunge because I think I can help other people who are feeling lonely and isolated.
RE: You and several other attorneys wrote this book, "The Right Not to Remain Silent". You wrote a section about disclosing mental health issues at work. Let's talk about the pros and cons of disclosing mental health issues at work. The first pro would be—
BB: Experiencing a wonderful sense of relief because keeping these things quiet is exhausting.
RE: Another pro is you become a role model.
BB: Absolutely. We need people, especially senior members of the profession, speaking out about our conditions and showing that we can have very successful practices while living with mental health issues.
RE: And you would feel invigorated by sharing your story because I would imagine there's a sense of release and relief.
BB: Absolutely. It was a cathartic experience. I was so scared to do it and then I opened up the floodgates and was like, well, this is so much fun, I'm just going to keep advocating.
RE: And then, you get the support you need. When you disclosed that you had some mental health issues, did you get a flood of support and did you find you were not alone?
BB: Absolutely. I made a presentation at our monthly staff meeting, I told my story for 20 minutes, and my colleagues stood up and gave me a standing ovation. When I knew that I had the support of my colleagues, I knew I could go out and be a mental health advocate.
RE: Let's talk about the cons now of disclosing your mental health issues at work. You feel ostracized by coworkers.
BB: That can happen. It didn't happen to me but it could potentially happen to others.
RE: Feeling like people are gossiping about you.
BB: Yes, you can feel that there might be gossip, whether it's happening or not, you get that paranoia. For people like me who also lived with an anxiety disorder, we worry.
RE: And risk of being excluded.
BB: That's the reality if you have a lousy boss, if you have a lousy management team, you may feel that you're not getting the quality of work that you would like to get.
RE: I feel like the pros outweigh the cons, here, because there are a lot of good points to releasing that issue that you have, disclosing it and then feeling empowered by it.
BB: In a sense, I think these cons are actually pros because I didn't feel any of them, I didn't experience any of them. My biggest fear about it being a real downside to disclose, I didn't feel that.
"The Right Not to Remain Silent" is available on Lexis Nexis. All royalties are donated to CAMH.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving “corrective action” for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account – and the life-changing moment was caught on video.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Students at Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School near Montreal are protesting after they say their school's administration started pushing what they call a 'sexist' dress code.
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Dangerous brew: Ocean heat and La Nina combo likely mean more Atlantic hurricanes this summer
Get ready for what nearly all the experts think will be one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, thanks to unprecedented ocean heat and a brewing La Nina.
U.S. senators write to Trudeau asking him to meet 2% GDP defence spending commitment
A bipartisan group of 23 U.S. senators have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging his country to live up to its commitment to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence amid concerns that key members of the NATO alliance are not pulling their weight.
Potential tornado 'surreal' for residents who witnessed damaging storm in southern Ontario
Witnessing a potential tornado was 'surreal' for residents who caught a glimpse of the damaging storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday night.