It’s Mental Health Awareness Week

09 May 2022

Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, founded by the Mental Health Foundation.

One in four adults feel lonely some or all of the time, often with no single cause and no one single solution – but recent research carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has found that in fact one in three (34%) of small business owners had their mental health adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The FSB’s survey also found that 24% of respondents currently have a mental health condition such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress. 16% of small business owners report having a mild mental health condition; 6% stated that they have a moderate mental health condition; and 2% said that they have a severe mental health condition.

Commenting on the issue, Tina McKenzie, Policy and Advocacy Chair at the FSB, said: ‘Whether it’s the migrant entrepreneur suffering post-traumatic stress, the aspiring start-up creator wrestling with depression as they struggle to find work, or the thousands of business owners who feel isolated and hopeless because of late payment, policymakers should reflect on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs during this Mental Health Awareness week.

‘By building on, and promoting access to, the support that’s already available to business owners and their teams, the government can make a real difference to mental wellbeing.’

A subsidiary of the Mental Health Foundation “Mental Health At Work” was set up to offer specific advice and guidance, developing tailored mental health programmes that enable positive behavioural and attitudinal changes around the stigma associated with mental health at work. For more information, click here or visit the Mental Health Foundation’s own website where there is a wealth of leaflets, podcasts and videos to help tackle mental health issues in the workplace, at home and in schools.