Page 14 - Intuition, Imagination and Innovation in Suicidology Conference, 11th Triple i, Virtual Conference
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h Triple i | Virtual Conference | 16th–19th June 2020 Impacts of Covid-19 on Mental Health
and Suicide Risk in Occupational Settings:
Implications for Suicide Prevention
and Research
Ella Arensman
Prof. Ella Arensman is Research Professor with the School of Public Health, Uni-
versity College Cork and Chief Scientist with the National Suicide Research Fo-
undation (NSRF), Ireland. She is Vice President of the European Alliance Against
Depression, and past President of the International Association for Suicide Pre-
vention. She is also Visiting Professor with the Australian Institute for Suicide Re-
search and Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane. She has been involved in re-
search and prevention of suicide, self-harm and related issues for more than 30
years, with emphasis on risk and protective factors associated with suicide and
self-harm, and effectiveness of preventive programmes. In Ireland, she played a
key role in developing the first and second National Suicide Prevention Program-
me: Reach Out, 2005–2014, and Connecting for Life, 2015–2020.
Abstract. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic are far reaching and long la-
sting for people in many work settings, and especially for those in Small and
Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in terms of people’s wellbeing and mental heal-
th and the social and economic impacts. A review of the impacts of Covid-19
and associated movement restriction measures on people with psychiatric
disorders and non-clinical mental health difficulties in occupational settings
has been conducted by the MINDUP (Mental Health Promotion and Inter-
vention in Occupational Settings) consortium. Considering the short-term
and long-term impacts of Covid-19, including staff stress and anxiety, redu-
ced quality and perhaps intensity of prevention of and care for those with
mental disorders, or other impacts associated with the Covid-19-crisis, the
MINDUP project is timely while it offers to SMEs support and intervention
tools with a specific focus on alleviating depression and anxiety among staff.
The reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic led to several changes in occupati-
onal settings such as increased and changed emotional work demands for
some professionals, e.g. health care workers; exposure to infected patients
and remote working. While many large organizations usually support their
staff with Employee Assistance Programmes or workplace health promotion
14 https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-7055-67-2.14
and Suicide Risk in Occupational Settings:
Implications for Suicide Prevention
and Research
Ella Arensman
Prof. Ella Arensman is Research Professor with the School of Public Health, Uni-
versity College Cork and Chief Scientist with the National Suicide Research Fo-
undation (NSRF), Ireland. She is Vice President of the European Alliance Against
Depression, and past President of the International Association for Suicide Pre-
vention. She is also Visiting Professor with the Australian Institute for Suicide Re-
search and Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane. She has been involved in re-
search and prevention of suicide, self-harm and related issues for more than 30
years, with emphasis on risk and protective factors associated with suicide and
self-harm, and effectiveness of preventive programmes. In Ireland, she played a
key role in developing the first and second National Suicide Prevention Program-
me: Reach Out, 2005–2014, and Connecting for Life, 2015–2020.
Abstract. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic are far reaching and long la-
sting for people in many work settings, and especially for those in Small and
Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in terms of people’s wellbeing and mental heal-
th and the social and economic impacts. A review of the impacts of Covid-19
and associated movement restriction measures on people with psychiatric
disorders and non-clinical mental health difficulties in occupational settings
has been conducted by the MINDUP (Mental Health Promotion and Inter-
vention in Occupational Settings) consortium. Considering the short-term
and long-term impacts of Covid-19, including staff stress and anxiety, redu-
ced quality and perhaps intensity of prevention of and care for those with
mental disorders, or other impacts associated with the Covid-19-crisis, the
MINDUP project is timely while it offers to SMEs support and intervention
tools with a specific focus on alleviating depression and anxiety among staff.
The reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic led to several changes in occupati-
onal settings such as increased and changed emotional work demands for
some professionals, e.g. health care workers; exposure to infected patients
and remote working. While many large organizations usually support their
staff with Employee Assistance Programmes or workplace health promotion
14 https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-7055-67-2.14
