Neura Health reposted this
Societal stigma unfortunately affects people living with certain health conditions, and neurological conditions are no exception. Medical misinformation circulating on social media can add to the existing stigma, especially in the workplace. While often well-meaning, medical misinformation distributed via social media can undermine the well-being and clinical outcomes of those living with these conditions, and this has a ripple effect on how chronically ill employees are treated in the workplace. 👉🏻 Pressure to work through flares: It’s not uncommon for severe conditions to be minimized on social media and made to seem like they’re something that is easily controlled by healthy lifestyle changes. People who have seen this misinformation may not understand the true severity of a colleague’s neurological condition and they may expect an employee to work during flares and attacks, worsening their health, productivity, and performance. For example, a manager may think that migraine is a bad headache while in reality, the employee’s migraine attack temporarily impairs their vision and word recall in addition to causing severe pain. 👉🏻 Unsolicited advice: However well-intentioned, colleagues may suggest “hacks” or alternative treatments seen on social media (like the viral foot soaking trend), without understanding the severity of the person’s disease or the potential health implications this could have. Unsolicited advice can further stigmatize a disease because it infers that the condition has an easy fix when the reality is that the condition’s treatment is quite complex. 👉🏻 Hiding the severity of their condition: Because of stigma, chronically ill employees may feel isolated and compelled to mask their disability or illness from colleagues, fearing judgment and discrimination. This leads to increased stress and mental health challenges in addition to the symptoms of the condition itself. If employers and colleagues recognize that stigma exists and create an environment where employees feel welcome, more employees would feel safe to disclose their conditions and access the accommodations they need. Doing so would increase workplace productivity and foster a more inclusive community of trust and acceptance. #HumanResources #EmployeeAccommodations #MedicalMisinformation
This is like the meme that says a hike in nature eliminates the need for antidepressants
Healthcare Partnerships | Director of Marketplace (The Harbor) at Healthie
3moMy heart sinks as soon as I see an aura in my vision, no feet soaking is going to do anything🙃.