Prabhat Dhar’s Post
Head of Sales @ Headspace Health • Transforming Mental Healthcare to Improve the Health and Happiness of the World • Growth Mindset
"We have a tendency to talk about mental healthcare when we talk about mental health" One week ago I heard share this statement as he delivered the opening keynote at 's conference called One Mind at Work and it has stuck with me ever since. I literally cannot stop thinking about this statement because it is the exact sentiment I have been trying to articulate. Here was someone who led the telling a room full of mental health ambassadors, employer leaders, and behavioral health experts that only 10% of someone's mental health is actually the "clinical care aspect". The other 90% is made up of key factors such as physical environment (place), social factors (people) and health behaviors (purpose) which we don't always pay nearly enough attention to. That's why I'm so passionate about what we have created and are continuing to build here at . We have a tendency to focus on the clinical piece of mental health when we have conversations. Think about how many times someone has raised their hand and said they're struggling with their mental health and the status quo response has been, "have you tried therapy" -- this is certainly appropriate for some but for many we need to ask the question of how can we support their whole person. Take a look at a sample individual experience below and see if it resonates, mental health is full of peaks and valleys - what we need is a continuous system supported by people and scaled by technology to help individuals proactively maintain and recover their mental health through modalities like longitudinal behavioral health coaching and self-guided evidence based content. Reactive clinical care cannot be the only answer...we need to in 's words a "health-care system" that is proactive/continuous, early-stage, recovery focused, and pre-emptive. Not a "sick-care system" that is reactive/episodic, late-stage, symptom-focused, and crisis-driven. Over the next few weeks I hope to share even more thoughts, but this is a start. Hope it resonates.
That 90% should also include our workplaces -- specifically how we manage them. People feel less connected to organizations than ever before (see Great Resignation) and to co-workers (see remote/hybrid work schedules). Lost connections with other humans surely contributes to our deteriorating mental health as does our expectation that workers must be "always on." It's not therapy most of us want & need -- it's more love and respect.
I love this: "Think about how many times someone has raised their hand and said they're struggling with their mental health and the status quo response has been, "have you tried therapy"..... What if instead we also asked: How is your support system? Does your support system need support? Can your community help with any aspects of daily life? So many more. And the one I always forget to ask, as an advocate and as a family member, "What do YOU think you need, and how can I help you get it?"
Totally resonates and very insightful as well. Admittedly I’ve more often than not viewed mental healthcare through that 10% “clinical care aspect”. Love what Headspace is doing to address the other 90%!
This is so good. It would be a shame if we only thought of going to our PCP as the way we took care of our physical health. This should be thought of in the same way.
Yes! Shifting to a health, preventive approach results in better outcomes for individuals and lower overall cost of care for systems!