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Comment by jd_routledge | Hacker News Reader

Hi,

I just wrote a piece about mental health in startups.

This is something that has been covered by a few others in the past, but I still don’t think it is talked about enough.

I don’t know what the answer is, but I am trying to raise awareness and getting people to talk about their struggles more and more.

If you think that this is a topic we should be talking about more please could you like and share my post around?

Also if you know of any other great resource on the topic please can you share it with me?

Thanks so much, James

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I would argue many of the mental health issues you describe in your post can be found in more traditional corporate environments as well when the mindset you bring as an employee to your job is one of extreme ownership and personal investment from the standpoint of time and effort.

Not sure why you're being downvoted, but yes, of course. The same issues can be found everywhere.

It isn't just startups themselves that cause these issues, there's a predisposition. My cofounders way back when could handle the pressure just fine.

I'd recommend anyone who is experiencing mental health issues to talk to a therapist. CBT is good for panic, and psychotherapy is good for anxiety and depression (imo.)

To me it seems like a mindset issue rather than a predisposition - having gone through it.

Employment is mostly about taking on the burden of someone else's stress and handling it. When your stress becomes too much the employer hires peers and perhaps gives you some minions to make things better.

If you were never taught how to manage stress and your family hasn't ingrained stoic values into you (because they themselves were never taught them) then the body is going to become overwhelmed, give up and switch into protective mode, also known as burnout, anxiety, depression, breakdowns etc.

I think it's both. I mean, just look at the variance in response to caffeine that people have. The nervous system clearly comes into play in all this.

I got made redundant rather than minions. Good outcome for me. Less good outcome for the startup staff I think.

Great comment - thanks for sharing. I think I agree - it's not just about the environment you work in (although I think certain environments bring it out more), it's a certain type of personality/mindset maybe.

You think it is a personality issue then? Some people can just handle pressure better than others?

Thanks for the insight btw :)

Not knowing anything about this, it sounds like that's probably true, but even your description makes it seem much more likely to happen in a startup.

absolutely - maybe even worse as the spirit of sharing etc isn't as strong in the corporate world

Do you think it is more a mindset of certain individuals as opposed to the environment they work in?

In England there's the charity "Time to Change" (formed by the two charities "Mind" and "Rethink Mental Illness") who tackle mental health stigma.

They aim to get people talking about mental illness and mental health, and this includes employees and employers.

http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/

Here's their stuff about work: https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/time-to-change-your-workpl...

Most of that is aimed at traditional employment, rather that start-ups.

Nice share! I don't think people will ever openly discuss their struggles and will continue to have issues doing so in focus groups. The answers and solutions to mental health are complex and need serious discussion in society and any material that can probe that discussion is another step forward.

Hi James --

Thanks for sharing your thoughts + experiences so publicly.

I've been working on a few resources to help the startup + tech community raise awareness about these issues. Check out blueperiod.co to learn a bit more.

Would love to chat more deeply about this -- my email is rob @ blueperiod.co :)

Best,

Rob McFeeley

Thanks Rob - i'll be in touch

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