What is it about?

We interviewed 12 mental health workers who sought mental health support after experiencing violence in their workplace. Having their experiences validated as traumatic made it easier for them to seek help. Facing stigma about mental health made it harder for them to seek help. Some participants experienced victim-blaming. Participants identified a need for more accessible trauma support and supportive management responses.

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Why is it important?

Working in a psychiatric hospital can be rewarding, but it can also be very stressful. This study is important because it is one of the first to ask mental health workers about their mental health needs.

Perspectives

It is discouraging to learn that mental health professionals are wary about seeking support for their own mental health needs, and feel a lack of support from their workplace after critical events. The participants' stories helped shape the 12 recommendations for psychiatric hospitals made by the Trauma among Psychiatric Workers Research and Knowledge Translation Project.

Dr N Zoe Hilton
University of Toronto

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This page is a summary of: Mental Health Workers’ Experiences of Support and Help‐Seeking Following Workplace Violence: A Qualitative Study, Nursing and Health Sciences, January 2021, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/nhs.12816.
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