Last week, I came across some shocking statistics. Around 80 percent of employees in the United States who are living with a mental health condition do not seek treatment because of associated stigma.

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It’s important that we feel we can talk openly about mental health.

In the United Kingdom, around 19 percent of employees have taken a sick day due to stress, but a whopping 90 percent of these individuals gave their boss a completely different reason.

Around 1 in 5 of us are living with a mental health condition, which begs the question: Why do we still feel that we can’t talk about these issues when they are so common?

While great strides have been made in breaking the stigma associated with mental health conditions, the work environment remains a particularly challenging place to talk openly about these issues.

“I have depression, anxiety, and [obsessive-compulsive disorder], so it’s a lot of juggling of difficult mental health conditions,” said one member of the Medical News Today editorial team.

“Usually I’ve felt like it needs to be kept a secret, in case people think less of me or think I’ll be worse at my job as a result of it,” she continued. “I’ve worried that I won’t be given opportunities if I’m thought of as being weaker than the rest of the team or somehow a liability because of my mental health.”

“It’s all about the work culture and approach toward mental health. I’ve never worked anywhere where I’ve been as open about my mental health as at MNT.”

Quite simply, we need to be able to openly discuss mental health in the workplace and help each other with any issues we might be facing.

This is why the editorial team kicked off 2019 by taking part in a Mental Health First Aid course. We learned some hugely valuable skills that I hope will encourage the team to talk openly about mental health and give them the confidence to reach out for help and help others who might need it.

We want to help you, our readers. Be it through tips on how to manage stress or first-person accounts of living with a mental health condition, we strive to provide you with informative and actionable content that empowers you to own your mental well-being.

One related article that caught your eye this January was our feature on Blue Monday — a day in January that is supposedly the “most depressing day of the year,” although, as you’ll see when you read it, this isn’t strictly true.

You were also interested to learn how a certain food additive could increase anxiety.

Other content you found interesting includes our article on the side effects of apple cider vinegar, as well as our article looking at whether garlic can be beneficial for people with HIV.

Within our news content, you were intrigued by our coverage of a study that investigated how much fiber we should eat to prevent disease, and our article on a potential breakthrough in the treatment of osteoporosis piqued your interest.

We want to keep the conversation on mental health going, so please get in touch — we’d love to hear your ideas. You can also reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter.

Thank you for reading, and have a happy and healthful February!

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Honor Whiteman, Managing Editor