The Unspoken Problem in the Business World
A Discussion on Mental Health
Web3, NFTs, the Metaverse. These are the buzzwords you hear about in today’s business world.
But you know what isn’t talked about? Mental health. And why would it be? As a society, we have shunned those that have mental health issues, creating an almost unspoken “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Feeling stressed out and overwhelmed? “Keep that to yourself.”
Working hard but playing even harder to compensate for your depression? “That’s too bad.”
So is it a surprise that so many entrepreneurs and business leaders struggle with mental health?
A University of California study found that 72% of entrepreneurs are affected by mental health issues, compared to 48% for non-entrepreneurs.
Not only that, but entrepreneurs are more likely to report a lifetime history of depression, substance abuse, and a bipolar diagnosis when compared to non-entrepreneurs.
We’ve heard the stories from Aaron Swartz to Kate Spade to Tony Hsieh. How could it be that someone whose mission revolved around delivering happiness was emotionally in a much darker place behind the scenes?
After recently reading Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind, by Andy Dunn, former CEO and co-founder of Bonobos, it was clear to see why so many entrepreneurs silently struggle with mental health issues.
Dunn suffered his first manic episode in 2000, after being awake for three straight days. As his behavior got more and more erratic, his housemates called his family, who eventually took him to the hospital.
The doctor diagnosed him with bipolar disorder I, the most severe kind. However, after some pushback from his family, the doctor relented and said that if Dunn didn’t experience another episode for five years, this could have been a one-off event. That phrase, one-off, was what the family clung to, it was their sliver of hope.
Depression and mental health issues are often swept under the rug, especially in the South Asian community. Dunn, who is half Indian, struggled after receiving the diagnosis, especially because of the known stigma that exists around mental health issues.
“When we say someone ‘is bipolar’ rather than ‘has bipolar disorder,’ that’s like saying that someone ‘is cancer’ rather than ‘has cancer.’ The hardest part is that that’s what we hear when we are diagnosed. I am bipolar. Or when others whisper: He is bipolar. Which is why it’s easier to not say it at all, and deny the whole thing.”
When family and friends can’t accept the diagnosis, how do you expect the one being diagnosed to cope? After the episode, Dunn tried speaking to one of his friends about the incident one night at the bar. Although they did have a bit of a conversation, his friend told him that he never wanted Dunn to bring it up again “as if he was more ashamed by the memory than [Dunn] was by [his] reality.”
Dunn’s mom did make him go to the doctor after his episode and he did get prescribed medicine, but the dosage wasn’t right and he felt it dulled his creativity. So, he decided to stop taking it.
“As I would learn, it’s common for the recently diagnosed to go off their meds,” said Dunn in his book.
“It’s not because we’re idiots. It’s because we’d rather roll the dice and be ourselves than be someone we don’t know. And it’s easier to do this if everyone is trying to pretend that what happened didn’t happen….The stigma around mental illness makes it logical to skip meds, too. If something is so shameful that it’s unspeakable, why take medication and internalize that shame?”
That shame was what kept Dunn from seeking help.
Five years came and went and he didn’t have an episode, so maybe the doctor was right and it was indeed a one-off event. But, despite not suffering from another episode, Dunn was still struggling on a day-to-day basis.
His lifestyle revolved around him drinking multiple coffees to stay energized during the day, drinking heavily and getting poor sleep at night, and sleeping 25+ hours on weekends. This helped ensure his mood didn’t get too high or too low and was his way of preventing another manic episode.
Between his workaholism and his alcoholism, he camouflaged his pain and his depression well. But he was suffering in silence.
Openly questioning if anyone would accept his condition and marry him if they knew the truth. Questioning if the board would allow him to continue running his company if they knew the truth.
In 2016, after another episode, the truth finally did come out. Dunn didn’t remember much from the episode but after spending a week in the psych ward, he was taken directly to the police station due to what had transpired during his episode.
To prevent the news from getting out from another source, Dunn had to finally admit his diagnosis to the board. He told them everything from his first episode to the arrest.
And do you know what happened? They understood.
The knowledge of his diagnosis helped explain some of his erratic behavior.
And beyond understanding, they supported him.
They acknowledged that his condition was manageable and they had faith in his ability to function as CEO.
Dunn finally got the help he needed to get back control of his life. With the right support system, the right combination of drugs, the right amount of sleep, and an effective therapist, Dunn was able to overcome “the ghost.”
He secured a successful sale of Bonobos to Walmart for $310 million, got married, and had a kid. But the most courageous thing he did was to share his story.
He showed that you can overcome your diagnosis. You can break free of the stigma. You can get the help you need.
There is no badge of honor in hiding your feelings. There is no reason to struggle alone in the dark, when there are countless resources to bring your mental health issues to the light.
There is nothing wrong with seeking therapy.
There is nothing wrong with getting medication if that’s what it takes to overcome your condition.
Don’t let your pride, fear of being judged, or the stigma surrounding mental health prevent you from taking care of yourself.
It’s not easy to seek help or openly acknowledge mental health issues.
Do it anyway.
If you’re one of the fortunate ones that don’t or haven’t experienced mental health issues, be an ally.
Lend an ear. Lend a shoulder. Encourage those that you see struggling to seek help if they need it.
Let’s stop brushing it under the rug. Let’s stop stigmatizing someone’s struggles.
Dunn said it best, “Let’s just deal with mental illness — openly, transparently, medically, chemically, in the mirror and in living rooms and conference rooms, boardrooms and family rooms and bedrooms and, yes, rooms with trained therapists and psychiatrists — and let’s, for everyone’s sake, stop pretending that it’s not here.”
