Nursing professor adds voice to national conversation about mental health – Jagwire

Between the tragedy surrounding professional golfer Grayson Murray and The Wall Street JournalThe recent article in The Loneliness of the American Worker brings the topic of mental health back into the public consciousness.

The challenge is to keep it there.

“The more awareness we create, the more we create the opportunity for colleagues to look out for each other. This is especially beneficial because the nature of many mental health crises is that people isolate themselves and may not be aware that they need help,” says Caroline McKinnon, PhD, associate professor in the Augusta University College of Nursing department of doctor of nursing practice.

Murray, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, committed suicide on the morning of May 25, after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge the day before due to “illness.” He was just 30 years old.

While family and friends continue to mourn his passing, many remember Murray as someone who was very open about his struggles with alcohol and drug problems.

In his victory speech at the Visit Knoxville Open, golfer Harry Higgs spoke of Murray’s death, saying, “Everybody here can make a difference, make a difference, brighten someone’s day. It can mean the world.”

According to McKinnon, athletes and celebrities who speak out in this way “combat[e]the stigma that can prevent people from seeking help.”

The pressure to perform can be overwhelming for athletes, especially those in individual sports. In their version of the workplace, there are fewer people they can confide in and who can recognize when they are in crisis.

Just days after Murray’s passing, 15-time LGPA winner Lexi Thompson announced her retirement. She was the youngest LGPA winner at 16 and now, at 29, she cited mental health as one of the factors contributing to her decision.

Fox Sports quoted Thompson as saying, “In golf you lose more than you win, so it’s a constant battle to keep putting yourself in front of the cameras and keep working hard and maybe not see the results you want and get criticized for it.”

According to McKinnon, who is coordinator of the psychiatric nurse practitioner program and has decades of experience in mental health nursing facilities, the added national focus on mental health should encourage everyone to continue the conversation about mental health.

“The connection between mental health in the workplace and the mental health of athletes is that this reporting raises awareness that mental health affects people in all professions,” McKinnon said.

The Wall Street Journal article by Te-Ping Chen describes that despite being digitally connected, many Americans feel isolated. According to Chen’s article, 40% of remote workers said they don’t leave their home for days, while office workers spend nearly a quarter of their day in virtual meetings.

Chen goes on to say that the percentage of people who say they know their coworkers on a personal level has dropped 11 percent over the past five years. The social aspects of work have diminished, and many Americans are feeling the effects of that loneliness. A surprising revelation in the article found that meetings are making employees feel lonelier, with a correlation between those who describe themselves as lonely and a heavy meeting load.

The results indicate a decline in mental health in the workplace, but what’s causing it? McKinnon suggests it’s a combination of many things.

“One component of course is the social interaction that we had to create because of the pandemic and the stress that it put on people. But another factor is technology. Our use of technology affects neurodevelopment and neurobiological stability. The more time we spend online, the more our brains change,” McKinnon said.

One benefit of this article is the increased awareness. It is entirely possible that these issues are an underlying problem, but as the stigmas crumble, we are moving away from blame and opening up the conversation.

“It may give the impression that the problem is worse, but the reality is that we are finally recognizing it,” McKinnon said.

For the Georgia Public Health Association’s annual meeting earlier this year, Augusta researchers presented at Georgia Southern University. Neil J. MacKinnon, PhD, professor of health policy for AU’s School of Public Health; Zach Hoffman, a research associate in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health; and Preshit Ambade, a postdoctoral researcher, created a survey about mental health and well-being in the workplace called the “Augusta Scale.”

Augusta University offers Question Persuade Refer (QPR) training, and McKinnon is an instructor for the class and recommends that all faculty, staff, and students take it. Suicide prevention training is designed to help the average person recognize when someone is in crisis, and then know what the first steps to take to help.

“It’s a basic skill set, just like learning the signs of a heart attack or training CPR,” McKinnon said. “In both situations, I’m going to ask certain questions to assess the level of emergency and then get the person the specific help they need. Comprehensive suicide prevention has to take everything into account, but you can start by training everyone.”

The future goal is to train maintenance personnel who visit the dormitories to assess security, and to train AU police officers on how to intervene in a crisis situation without it escalating.

The QPR Institute has online training for different types of individuals and professionals with specific needs. McKinnon offered that there is even a QPR for athletes.

“Some people are afraid to get involved in these situations, but QPR teaches you how to deal with them so you are prepared. A mental health crisis is easier to hide than a physical emergency, but most people in a suicidal crisis will tell someone they know before they tell a stranger,” McKinnon said.

“You never know who is going to be a bystander or a witness, and you don’t have to be a healthcare professional to start the process of getting someone into care. This training can help with some of the language and stigmas around mental health.”

Augusta University offers 24/7 emergency assistance to all students, faculty, and staff at 833-910-3364. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for free, confidential support. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing has a list of mental health resources on their website.