Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas on what HR leaders should look out for

BY John Corrigan

For nearly 50 years, various health and charitable organizations have conducted an annual campaign to inform and engage the public about #suicideprevention. The goal is to reduce the #stigma surrounding the topic, support those who have attempted #suicide and encourage the pursuit of #mentalhealth assistance.

As of 2020, #suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the #CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention (#CDC). That year – the height of the #COVID-19 #pandemic – there were just under 46,000 suicides in the country and 1.2 million #suicideattempts. The rate of #suicide is highest in middle-aged white #men: men died by #suicide nearly 4x more than #women in 2020.

There’s a correlation between that statistic and this – the construction industry has one of the highest #suicide rates of any industry. In 2016, the #suicide rate for #men in construction and extraction occupations was almost twice the total #suicide rate for civilian working #men (16-64 years old) in 32 states and five times greater than the rate for all fatal work-related injuries in the construction industry in 2018, according to the #CDC.

The construction industry has galvanized around that data, seeking solutions for its workforce by reaching out to Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas. A clinical #psychologist and #mentalhealthadvocate, she currently serves as president of United #Suicide Survivors International and co-chair of the #InternationalAssociationofSuicidePrevention.

It's a cause near and dear to her heart – she lost her brother to #suicide in 2004.

“His death rocked my world,” Spencer-Thomas told HRD. “In grief, I went searching for answers and learned the majority of people who die by #suicide are just like my brother. They make one attempt and its fatal. Most of those men have never reached out for #mentalhealthservices.”

#Mentalhealthsupport has been on the rise since the #pandemic, with employees across every industry demanding increased resources from their employers. That’s led to an increase in wellness benefits, such as free counseling, subscriptions to Headspace, Calm and other meditation apps, more paid time off (PTO) for employees to unwind, etc.

Additionally, HR leaders have been encouraging managers to maintain consistent communication with their employees, even just to check in. Frequent conversations, whether in-person or virtually, are crucial to catching signs that employees may have suicidal tendencies.

#James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleOrder your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife:From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy

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Those signs include an uptick in absenteeism and a pattern of errors, mistakes or near misses, Spencer-Thomas says. “Your brain goes into the darkest downward spiral and it’s very hard to wane your brain off that,” she says. “When called upon to make difficult decisions and solve problems, your brain is distracted.”

Another sign of suicidal tendencies is irritation, specifically people who can usually deal with a lot of #stress but now fly off the handle at the smallest provocation. In male-dominated industries in particular, #depression often gets expressed through aggression, which typically gets people in trouble with HR. “It’s a sign people aren’t feeling well on the inside – hurt people hurt people,” Spencer-Thomas says. “If it’s uncharacteristic of an employee to be so agitated, it’s another time for managers or HR to check in.”

According to Spencer-Thomas, sleep (or lack thereof) is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to suicidal despair. Some depressed people stop sleeping, and others may want to sleep all the time, yet never feel rested. “We don’t have shame talking about sleep like we do other #mentalhealth symptoms, so if someone’s not sleeping well, that’s a doorway into a discussion about their #mentalwell-being,” Spencer-Thomas says.

During #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth in May, HRD commissioned a survey from professional social network Blind that indicated even some of the biggest companies in the U.S. aren’t doing enough for their employees. The results were startling: only 41% of employees believe their employer supports their #mentalhealth. More than half (55%) said they haven’t used any #mentalhealth benefits offered by their employer, and 13% believe their employer doesn’t offer any #mentalhealth benefits.

Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of employees wish their employer offered more #mentalhealth benefits. Walmart topped the list, with 95% of employees wishing the largest employer in the country offered more #mentalhealthresources. The retailer was followed by Goldman Sachs (85%), Menlo Park, CA-based Robinhood (81%), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (80%) and T-Mobile (80%).
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