I know that the thought of mental health can be cheesy or such a touchy topic to discuss. Although, I must confess that in recent times, people have been more open to open discussions on mental health.
The truth is mental health should be a top priority for everyone, especially for leaders in the health sector, no thanks to the intrinsic and extrinsic pressure we have to constantly deal with. It’s not just a concern for Psychologist or Psychiatrists, it’s just as important for me as it is for you.
Studies have shown that many people don’t get a diagnosis for certain psychological concerns till their adult years. I for one didn’t get an ADHD diagnosis till my 20’s. How has this impacted me as a healthcare leader? you must wonder.
Well after my diagnosis, ofcourse with the help of my therapist, I have had to do a lot of self-reflection and I look back and realised that not paying attention to my mental health and simply walking around in ignorance of what’s wrong, had greatly affected me in various ways both in my personal life and as a leader.
For instance, two of the major issues an ADHD warrior would have to deal with is procrastination i.e simply a wrong perception of time for them and secondly, focus; they are either over-focusing or under-focusing.
Now you would agree with me that giving my mental health all the attention it needed and eventually getting a diagnosis was beyond getting a tag for my “problems”, rather I would say it gave me perspective and solution, thus, making me a better person and leader in the long run.
It was a “eureka moment” for me, I finally understood the reason I struggled with being on time with deadlines and last-minute preparation and this was not because I was lazy but simply because I had difficulty in my perception of time. As a leader this was very essential for me to discover and solve. Since therapy began, it has been easier for me to control my own deadlines and meet group targets early enough.
It has also helped me find other means to get motivated when I find myself struggling with under-focusing as a result of lack of self-motivation. This has been really great for me as a doctor and a medical team lead because I rarely find myself starting huge projects based of the adrenaline rush and then struggling to complete it when there is a sudden loss of motivation or focus.
In a nutshell, this blog post isn’t meant to be a form of diagnosis for anyone, neither is it meant to purport the problem of mental health nametags. Rather its intent is to nudge us to have a moment of self-reflection and pay close attention to our mental health. In doing this, we would realise we probably need the help of a professional to hold our hands and help us see the reasons why or simply realising the effect of our daily job stressors in our decision making. A healthcare leader needs to first be healthy.
