Madalyn Parker, a web developer from Michigan, is no stranger to mental health issues.
In 2015, she wrote a blog discussing her mental health struggles. It reads:
“I’ve lived with anxiety for as long as I can remember. I was the child who cried during emergency drills at school because my brain actually went into emergency mode… It didn’t really have a big impact on my life until high school when I started experiencing panic attacks. My conditions worsed through college… and by my fourth year I was on prescribed medication and seeing a therapist once a week.”
In late June of this year, Madalyn’s health issues began posing a problem for her once again.
She describes the experience on Twitter.
Too distracted by my health (anxious, depressed, injured) to be effective at work.
Too worried about my work to be effective at self care.
— madalyn (@madalynrose) June 28, 2017
Madalyn decides to take a few days off of work to get her mental health under control, emailing her boss to let him know.
In a response email that has since gone viral, the CEO of Madalyn’s company, Ben Congleton, responds to Madalyn’s message.
The CEO writes, in part, “I just wanted to personally thank you for sending emails like this. Every time you do, I use it as a reminder of the importance of using sick days for mental health.”
Ben’s compassionate and understanding response has been liked over 35,000 times, sparking a new online discussion about the stigmatization of mental health in the work place.
Unfortunately, judging from responses like the following, many Americans still do not feel like they can approach their employer regarding mental health issues.
Re LRT if I told my boss I was taking a sick day for mental health, she’d give me no end of hassle. That’s why I call it a “headache”.
— King of Tωitter (@TonyNoland) July 2, 2017
my biggest fear was finding a job where a boss treated me poorly and made my mental health worse and! surprise! that’s exactly what i found!
— ashleigh ? (@ashidanielle) June 23, 2017
And, although most users seem in favor of mental health sick days, there are definitely a few people who are against the notion as well.
how about learn coping mechanisms to deal with stress instead of just hiding from situations that you don’t like?
— duh-koh-tuh (@cannibalistiic) July 11, 2017
Interestingly, mental health sick days make sense from an economic perspective.
According to Mental Health America, the cost of depression was 600$ per depressed worker in 1995.
Contrary to what may be assumed, most of these costs did not come from treatment, but from absenteeism and lost productivity at work.
CEO Ben responds to the attention his email has received with a blog.
In it, he writes:
“We are in a knowledge economy. Our jobs require us to execute at peak mental performance. When an athlete is injured, they sit on the bench and recover. Let’s get rid of the idea that somehow the brain is different.”
According to Scientific American, 1 in 6 Americans are medicated for mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, remember that supports are available.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
