Why we need protective equipment for mental health
World Health Organization (WHO), International Labour Organization (ILO), Ministry of Social Security, Labor Justice… Are all these institutions wrong when they emphasize the importance of mental health in the workplace? Are they lying when they reveal the impact of neglecting mental health on the rising rate of worker absenteeism? Is the Center for Economic Policy Research of the European Union mistaken when it shows that people diagnosed with burnout can suffer serious and long-lasting damage to their careers—and that women are three times more susceptible to these consequences? Or that the repercussions of burnout extend to the family, reducing the spouse’s productivity and even affecting the children’s school performance?
Is the 1988 Federal Constitution, which guarantees the right to mental health for every citizen, obsolete? And what about the nearly 400 billion reais lost each year in Brazil due to psychological and emotional challenges, according to research by the Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais?
Izabella Camargo is a journalist, presenter, speaker, and advocate for health, workplace well-being, and longevity.
There is no shortage of data and findings to warn us that mental health education is an urgent demand to address a real, painful, and costly phenomenon for the entire population. Even so, where are the mental health PPEs? Yes, Personal Protective Equipment! To avoid physical risks, workers have helmets, boots, gloves, ear protectors, etc. There are even campaigns promoting their use in factories, with fines for those who fail to comply with the rules. But what about psychological risks? Even sitting down, without being exposed to visible dangers, I can become ill if I neglect the signs of my cognitive and emotional limits. How is it that some people still prefer to ignore the facts and continue thinking as if they were in the last century? I’m tired! Tired of sitting back with so much accumulated knowledge. Tired of hearing the same lazy excuses about taboos and prejudices surrounding the issue.
That’s why— and for all the people who have been questioned and judged for their invisible pain and unrecognized diagnoses—I launched in May 2024 the first global manifesto advocating for the creation of mental health PPEs. From this point on, I will shed more light on the ideas and projects that are already working, on the lessons that can be shared and adapted among companies. I will organize data and meetings to actively make and change history.
But what exactly is mental health PPE? It is leadership literacy in psychological safety, it is the prevention of any form of harassment, it is the right to disconnect, it is the flexibility of time and place of work, it is access to therapy sessions, it is the possibility to engage in a journey of self-discovery or internal tourism, as I call the process of identity renewal. There’s no point in complaining about a toxic environment if I have toxic behaviors. It’s essential to develop self-responsibility—for yourself and for others. Mental health is a right, not a privilege. It’s time to decide whether we will continue wasting time denying the undeniable or rise to meet the new challenges.
Izabella Camargo is a journalist, presenter, speaker, and advocate for health, workplace well-being, and longevity. After experiencing a blackout live on TV Globo, Brazil’s largest television network, she became one of the country’s most respected researchers on burnout syndrome.
