It’s time to address mental health in dental labs

Steve Taylor discusses the importance of addressing mental health in the lab and how to spot the signs that someone is struggling.

When did you first start raising awareness of mental health?

My wife started training as a counsellor 10 years ago, so I got a lot of insight into mental health through chatting to her over dinner at night, and I often read some of her books.

Later, mental health became something that I could physically get connected with through the Dental Professional Alliance after it started the Mental Health Wellness group. It wanted different dental care professionals and I just happened to be a dental technician who was connected to them. So, that suddenly gave me a proper focus on it.

What signs or symptoms of someone struggling should people look out for?

Changes in behaviour is a big sign. For example, it could be somebody who was outgoing and friendly suddenly becoming introverted and quiet.

You would hope people notice a change, pick up on it, and find out what the reason for it is and whether there is something you can do to help.

What can lab owners do to support their employees’ mental health?

Implement a mental health framework. Initially, there is zero cost. Once you decide it’s an important enough subject for you to commit to it, there’s an element of paying for somebody to have mental health training often. But mental health courses are nothing like as expensive as dental technology courses. You can even get them for free from certain places. That’s what I hope a lot of lab owners will look at.

The key thing is signposting. It’s about spotting something and feeling that you have the authority to intervene and say: ‘Is everything okay? Would you like to chat about things?’. Once they give you the permission to talk to them, it’s then about having the appropriate direction to send them in. It might be debt, it might be physical abuse, sexual abuse, alcohol, drugs.

The list of reasons why can be endless. It could even be that their dog died. Irrespective of what the problem is, it’s important to treat everybody’s problem as being the 100% important problem that it is.

Knowing that somebody is on your side is vital. It’s not about having all the answers in your head, it’s being able to say: ‘I’m sorry you’ve got this problem. What I’m going to try to do is help you get somebody who can help you with that process.’ You’re not expected to fix someone’s mental health issues by yourself. But you can remove some of the elements that cause an increase in the possibility of a mental health issue. You need trained practitioners to fix it.

What issues in the lab can impact mental health?

Workload and work expectations can bring a lot of pressure because every case we receive tends to be time critical. You could end up in situations where, unbeknown to the dentist, a patient may undergo treatment that they need to get completed sooner than ideal. There is also the pressure of keeping up with new technology, learning new materials, learning new techniques, learning new software – it is constant.

In terms of communication, the dentist can be under pressure. If something then goes wrong, they can be a little bit effervescent in their response, which can be misinterpreted as something personal by the technician. They might say something was ‘rubbish’ when it just needs some adjustment refinement. But technicians could hear that and feel very upset by the criticism.

What people must realise about mental health is that it’s very much a case of the person in their hole. Outside of work, you could have an issue that you bring into work, and in work, you could have an issue that you bring back to your home life. At the moment, the cost of living crisis, the fear of cost of utility bills, can play a part – it certainly does impact people without a doubt. And dental technicians don’t tend to be the best paid people in society.

Have you noticed a shift in attitudes towards mental health?

Yes, I have. But I think the biggest shift has been in myself. I’ve become a lot more aware. I’ve known people with mental health problems, and I’ve always tried to support them, but I never realised what good support was compared to patronising somebody by saying: ‘You’ll be okay’. It’s not meant with any malice, but it is quite easy to say the wrong thing without knowing it.

What would you say to someone who might be struggling?

There are lots of services that can help, such as the Samaritans or the NHS 111 Mental Health Triage team – you will get referred to an appropriate person to help you. You can also get the Mind app.

These services all operate 24/7, 365 days a year. There is always somebody there to speak to.

For mental health support…

• NHS mental health services – call 111 (open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) for urgent help for your mental health
• Samaritans – to talk about anything that is upsetting you, call 116 123 (open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) or email [email protected]
• National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK – call 0800 689 5652 (6pm to midnight every day) for a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide
• If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E.

Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You will not be wasting anyone’s time.

This article first appeared in Laboratory. To receive a copy, sign up to Dentistry Club silver or gold.