– I have taken a “mental health day” up to several times. I’ve been burnt out and on sick leave too, so I’ve had a lot of “mental health days”. This is what 28-year-old Lykke Sofie Myrås tells us. The phenomenon of “mental health day” has become big on social media, and is about people staying home from work to take care of their mental health. Lykke Sofie Myrås believes that you should be able to take sick days for mental health in the same way as for physical health. Photo: Private This week, new figures came in which show that sickness absence is at its highest in 15 years. The increase is greatest among young people and women. Myrås, who is a master’s student and Tiktoker, tells news that in previous jobs she has used sick days to take care of her mental health. – I have reported to work when I have been ill with anxiety and other mental issues. But it’s harder to tell when it’s mental than physical. “Mental health day” Several hundred thousand posts on Instagram and TikTok are tagged with the subject tag #mentalhealthday. In the videos, young people often talk about the fact that you can have a bad day, or have other more serious mental health problems, and why it is important to take a sick day to recover. Photo: Screenshot from TikTok For Myrås, who has ADHD and struggles with anxiety, a “mental health day” has meant taking a sick day if the psyche has needed it. But the threshold has been high. – There have been days when I can’t stop crying or am so tired that my body aches, because I’m mentally tired and then I get physically tired too. It has been on the same level as a physical illness, and so serious that I am actually unable to show up for work, she explains. Lykke Sofie Myrås talks openly about ADHD and anxiety. Photo: Private – But can going to work help in some cases? – I think it is very individual. For me, it becomes so clear that I’m not mentally well, and the fact that people see it and maybe ask, can make it worse. Myrås believes that you should be able to take sick days for mental health in the same way as for physical health. – It is, after all, for prevention, so that you may avoid being on sick leave for several months. Have you taken a “mental health day” from work? Yes, I have No, never Show result The figures do not come as a surprise The increase in doctor-reported sick leave is linked to more people reporting sick due to mild mental disorders. Adrian Lorentsson, secretary general of Mental Health Youth, believes that these figures do not come as a surprise. Adrian Lorentsson, secretary general of Mental Health Youth, believes it is high time that Norway addresses “mental health day”. Photo: Roy Kenneth S Jacobsen – You can look at surveys far back in time, for example the Ungdata surveys, and see that young people have reported challenges regarding their mental health, he says and continues: – If you have hung out and gone for many years and never received help from the school health service, and suddenly you have to be at work, so there is nothing to suggest that an unsolved problem when you are 16 will magically be solved when you are 26. Lorentsson also emphasizes that many experience improvement, but in others the problems can grow bigger. Nor is Myrås surprised by the figures. – We put too much pressure on ourselves and don’t dare speak up when things get too tiring, and think that “everyone else can do it, so I have to do it too”. That is my experience, and I have thought that I must sharpen myself. “Then you have to go to work” Lorentsson says that taking a “mental health day” is a well-known phenomenon. – It is perhaps better known internationally and especially in the USA. But it is high time that it is addressed in Norway, and looking at sickness absence and that it has increased particularly due to psychological problems. Lorentsson believes that more young people today have become more focused on the fact that work should not be everything. – Working hard for a job that will cost you the rest of your life is not the point. I honestly believe that shouldn’t be the case either. He emphasizes that you must make arrangements to have a society where you have a perfect balance between work and leisure. Labor Minister Tonje Brenna is concerned that people end up more alone and on sick leave if they don’t show up for work. Photo: Hanna Johre / news Labor Minister Tonje Brenna believes that single incidents that cause life to go up and down are no reason to use sick days. – While you are young, you can sometimes feel a little overwhelmed. There are big changes in life, and you feel that you have good and bad days and that it can be a bit much. The vast majority of us feel like this at times. But that is no reason to self-report or ask the doctor to register you sick. Then you have to go to work or school, she says. – Do you think that young people should really just sharpen up? – I believe that young people, just like well-grown people, benefit greatly from going to work. Both because work is a place where we have colleagues and belong, but also because it is a good feeling to master something and feel useful to others. I am a little worried that we will end up being more alone and on sick leave, when some people probably need to be with others, she says. She emphasizes that if it is about a mental diagnosis, it is understandable that you are on sick leave and not at work. Lykke Sofie Myrås posts content on TikTok about her life. Photo: Screenshot from TikTok Employers must facilitate Lorentsson points out that you can take inspiration from “mental health day”. – That the employer facilitates that it is permissible to be sick in order to take care of your mental health, and creates a culture where you can talk about how you feel. If leaders in working life are to constantly appear as tough people who can handle everything, then that also sets a standard, he says. Myrås believes that there needs to be more talk about mental health in the context of work. – The less taboo it becomes to talk about, the greater the chance there is of daring to tell an employer or colleague the real reason why you are ill. Published 06.09.2024, at 21.57
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Stays home from work to take care of his mental health – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
