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Stress & Riddor
Hi Maudie
 
Bravo!  A sensible attitude if ever I heard one.  I am an OH Specialist but RNA trained initially.  I do however feel that the psychological aspects of work and illness are misunderstood by management, HR, a great many OHAs and unfortunately rather too many GPs.  The effects of bullying are a case in point.  If stress is not a relevant consideration in the workplace, how come bullying is considered a 'bad thing'?  After all, its effects are seldom physical.  Were they to become so they would be referred to as physical abuse would they not?
 
I feel it's all too simple for those who find it easy to deal with their problems, domestic and work related, to under-estimate the effects suck problems can have on other people.  We are all different.  This is physically demonstrated by one person's ability to overcome infection and another's to succumb to it.  The workings of the mind and its ability to cope with life's slings and arrows are no different.   To ignore this is to ignore the basic tenets of nursing whatever discipline one follows.  Well that's my opinion anyway!
 
Jay
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">mchardy
To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 6:03 PM
Subject: Re: Stress & Riddor

Hi
 
I haven't contributed to this list for a while, however, this has prompted me to! I am a Specialist OH Nurse but with an RMN qualification as well as RGN.
 
This surely just shows the HSE's ignorance of how mal adaptive responses to stress can lead to physical and mental ill health! Maybe the RIDDOR team mean to say that stress is not on the Internationally recognised list of diagnosis (ICD), which it is not, however, other conditions such as anxiety states, acute reaction to stress leading to for e.g. to depressive or anxiety illnesses are all in the ICD.
 
And what about the unresolved stress reactions creating a very physical state of illness?
 
I am sure that many like me are continually fighting a losing battle in trying to raise awareness of mental health in the work place and try to reduce the stigma that is attached to it. This response from the HSE surely adds to this stigma?
 
There, I've had my say!
 
Maudie 
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Aziz, Bashyr
To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 12:07 PM
Subject: Stress & Riddor

Hello

I just picked this message up at another website.  Any comments?

***************************

I recently contacted the HSE to query whether stress-related illness or psychiatric injury could be construed as reportable under RIDDOR.  I received the following reply:

"The following information has been provided by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR) Operations Unit, Bootle.

Stress is not reportable at all, not even as an over 3 day injury, because it is a mental state."

However, I think most stress experts would find this reason untenable, as their is a general consensus that stress, and related psychiatric conditions, are *both* physical and mental.  For example, i ) stress is often viewed as a physiological and neurological state, ii) stress has well-documented physical symptoms and effects.  The NHS and Royal College of Psychiatrists, e.g., acknowledge that stress has physical as well as physical symptoms.

Just curious as to what others make of this.  Do you think that stress can be classed as a mental state, as a opposed to a physical one, or do you think doing so is incorrect?

***************************


Bashyr Aziz                Telephone: 01902 518632
Senior Lecturer
School of Health - MH113
University of Wolverhampton
Molineux Street
Wolverhampton
WV1 1SB

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