Enabling empathetic workspaces

The panel was intended as a call to action to prioritise mental well-being and mental health as part of our social responsibility — from the individual level to the community.
Illustration: mandar pardikar
Illustration: mandar pardikar
Updated on
4 min read

CHENNAI: At the pharmacy counter at VSR Hospital, Premavathy carefully examines hurried, nearly-illegible scribbles of prescriptions. Each capsule, medicine or syrup is packaged and she never forgets to hand out with words of guidance with them. For a diabetic patient, she has recommendations on which fruits and food are beneficial, and a list of exercise tips for senior citizens; for children, she fishes out chocolates and the joking instructions of “don’t come back here next time”. The pharmacy is more than a place of work for Premavathy.

Growing up, the now-pharmacist watched her father visit government hospitals frequently and grappling with mental illness. “Without access to family love, affection, and medication, my father had this problem. He couldn’t sustain his job or support us, emotionally or financially,” she recalls. “I couldn’t support my father, so I pursued pharmacy courses to open a medical shop. He isn’t there but this profession gives me the chance to give people medicines and pieces of advice.”

As a mental health service user, the 45-year-old deals with her own diagnosis, and the challenges that have come with it. Carrying the memories of her father’s struggles, she completed her pharmacy course and this was a driving force in her eventual places of employment.

After 18 years of medication, the pharmacist acknowledges the importance of support systems. “Family and societal support, basic amenities like food and a home, and medical support are crucial for our mental health. You need love, affection, and safety. In this world, we can’t do anything without money,” she says, adding access to healthcare for physical and mental illnesses is crucial.

Is my ‘problem’ genetic or because of my circumstances? Premavathy wonders. While this question remains unanswered, the stigma tethered to these discussions persists. “I take medication and even though I am past 45, there is a fear of societal judgements. There is a fear they will see me as a patient. Not everyone is accepting of this,” she highlights.

Premavathy was speaking at a discussion ‘The Intersection between Homelessness, Mental Health, and Workplace Wellness: A Call to Action’ at TAG Auditorium, Madras School of Social Work. On World Mental Health Day (October 10), the event was organised by city-based NGO, Banyan, which supports the mental healthcare needs of homeless persons living with mental illness. The panel was intended as a call to action to prioritise mental well-being and mental health as part of our social responsibility — from the individual level to the community.

Rescue and rehabilitation

A North-Indian man dropped in the streets of Chennai, a woman whose partner was killed by her family in an incident of honour killing, and another abandoned by her family — how do stakeholders deal with these instances? Mental health needs to be addressed at the intersection of caste, gender, community bonding, and homelessness. “The government needs to understand the source of the problem, the socio-political context of the problem, and mental health consequences as an outcome,” says Dr Archana Padmakar, co-director, Banyan.

The law and state play an important role in dealing with the homeless who are mentally ill. “In 1954, people roaming for alms would be picked up by police and fined `50 and taken to a centre in Tiruvallur. Now, with a slowly changing perspective of governments, it has been decriminalised. In 2017, the National Mental Health Act was implemented, the laws demand that the rights of a mentally ill person have to be protected. The police act as first responders, bear the burden of resolving the issue and their role is big,” says P Vijayakumar, IPS.

Police officials need empathy and compassion to enforce the law humanely, the IPS officer says, adding rehabilitation and reintegration is key, along with cooperation from stakeholders.

Inclusive workplace

As part of rehabilitation, empathy in the workplace and from employers is also vital, add the panellists. With branches across the city, Writer’s Café employs burn survivors, children with intellectual disabilities, and persons with mental illnesses. The fundamental lesson the café highlights is kindness and understanding. “We need to adapt to their routines as much as they adapt to us. It is not just empathy and kindness but we also need to understand they are wired differently,” says Sharada Dharmaraj, brand marketing manager of Writer’s Café. Dr Damen Queen, assistant professor at Madras School of Social Work, and Karthikeyan, CEO and managing director of WORTH Trust, also highlighted these points.

Echoing this thought, Naresh Ramasubramaniam, founder and managing director of Shuttles and Needles, says the work must be therapeutic, enjoyable, and bring pride. “If the activity chosen is seen as socially acceptable, it is sustainable. The work that ticks all these boxes is typically anything related to craft. It resonated with everyone in society and it is a hands-on activity and helps them be focussed, whether weaving or knitting or craft.”

Hope in change and psychosocial intervention is an immovable part of this rehabilitation process.“There is a stigma that a person with a mental illness is unfit for work. We need to break this.” says Shibu Albert, associate director of Livelihoods, The Banyan. Sensitising the employer, institutional collaboration, and long-term association are key, he adds.

‘It is Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace’, declares the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day. Each year we celebrate our successes, and this day is to acknowledge improvement and coping mechanisms, says Premavathy. And what does work mean for someone who is navigating mental illness? For the pharmacist, the act of interacting with patients brings joy. “Even if I leave in the morning with positive thoughts, negative thoughts return in the evening. And the cycle begins the next day.” Yet, beyond this cycle, she finds strength in prayers and reading the Bible, and waits for joy in the next interaction.

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