Ever since they launched their Heads Together program in 2016, Prince William, Duchess Catherine and Prince Harry have worked to reduce the negative stigma surrounding mental health.
And while announcing his new campaign to improve mental health in the workplace, the Duke of Cambridge spoke candidly about his own struggles when he was working with the East Anglian Air Ambulance and admitted that he “took a lot home without realising it.”
The Duke is launching a new campaign to improve mental health in the workplace.
In the two years that he worked for the air ambulance charity, Prince William’s role as a pilot saw him attend to patients injured by circumstances ranging from road traffic accidents to fires and even poisoning which took a toll on his mental wellbeing.
“If you see sad things every day, you think all life is like that, you’re just seeing all the sad things, all the pain every day.
“I think that for the medical community, particularly, that must weigh a lot on their minds. That you’re always dealing with despair, sadness, injury, things that are really quite troubling.
“The attrition builds up and you don’t really have the opportunity to off-load it.”
As part of the Heads Together program, the Duke is helping to launch a website entitled, The Mental Health at Work project, which will provide resources, training and information for workplace managers on how to create a more mentally healthy environment, especially for small to medium-sized companies.
Prince William served with the East Anglian Air Ambulance for two years.
This isn’t the first time Prince William has spoken about mental health in the workplace. In 2016, the second in line to the throne spoke to business leaders about the importance of establishing support systems.
“I have also seen how an employer can create an environment where it is as unremarkable to talk about feeling a bit ‘down’ as it is to admit to having a cold,” William explained.
“All of the air ambulance team know that we can get help for what is going on in our heads if we need it. We know where to turn, as practical help is well sign-posted, and we know that no one will judge us if we do admit to difficulties. Mental health exists just as physical health exists. It is no big deal.”
If you, or someone you know, would like to learn more about what mental health is all about, or need to talk to someone, don’t wait; contact beyond blue by calling them on 1300 224 636 or visiting their website.
