Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from news.com.au. This week, Dr Zac Turner explores mental health and the workplace.

QUESTION: Hi Dr Zac, I run a small team of 20 something and I feel like every other day someone needs a mental health day because they’re managing their anxiety. They think it’s perfectly acceptable to text me at the last minute at 8:30am with barely 30 minutes notice.

Back in my day I would’ve immediately been given the sack for that. My HR director says that I can’t say no to these requests. One of them told me they’ve been taking magnesium supplements to “regulate their nervous system“, another is saving up to get an ADHD diagnosis after watching a TikTok about the condition.

When I was their age we didn’t have labels for feeling tired or unmotivated or overwhelmed. We just got on with a job and accepted that it was a part of life. Is this new way for self diagnosis and wellness stacking legitimate or are we over-medicalising basic adulthood? What should I do?

ANSWER: Hi Tony, good on you for speaking up. I’m sure there are other managers in the exact same position as you wondering what they should be doing to constructively help or legitimise claims. There’s been a significant cultural shift in how young people, and then consequently younger employees, discuss mental health and wellbeing in public and professional forums.

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It’s totally understandable that this can feel disorienting to encounter when you’ve come from more traditional workplace environments. Let’s break down what evidence tells us and then we can look at how to respond without becoming the enemy.

First let’s be clear – mental health concerns are real, undeniably so. Numerous global studies and data can back this up, according to the ABS around 21.5 per cent of people aged 16 to 85 have had a diagnosed mental disorder in the past year here in Australia. And approximately 42.9 per cent have experienced one at some point in their lives.

In the workplace specifically, mental health conditions account for roughly 9 per cent of all serious compensation claims, a figure that has climbed nearly 37 per cent since 2017 to 2018 according to Work Australia.

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So your instinct to take the issue seriously is absolutely right and should be trusted as a good manager. That being said it’s also equally important to recognise not every single mention of anxiety ADHD stress or wellness reflects a clinically verified diagnosis. There is valid growing concern that more ordinary human experiences such as frustration, fatigue or feeling overstimulated by being unnecessarily medicalised just like you mentioned. Research cautions that self diagnosis, thought to be on the rise due to certain social media trends, can blur the boundaries between everyday stress and genuine mental health disorders; sometimes silencing those who suffer from legitimate diagnosis, according to the ANZMH blog.

I’ve provided some practical solutions that can be easily included in your managing position:

• Set clear expectations and boundaries

If you communicate or qualify as a reasonable notice and a legitimate absence you will be maintaining furnace and consistency rather than being rigid and official, which is exactly what people need in moments of mental health crisis.

• Encourage professional guidance

If you are approached by a team member who identifies with a mental health condition, support them and seek proper assessment or advice from legitimate health professionals rather than supporting the reliability of a self diagnosis.

• Focus on the work environment

A large majority of common stresses stem directly from job workload and unclear responsibilities. Research from the corporate mental health alliance Australia has told that feeling supported by leadership and having manageable expectations are key predictions of employment, health and wellbeing.

• Promote holistic wellbeing

Pushing employees to prioritise sleep, exercise, socialising and creative fulfilment is fundamental. While personal wellness aids like magnesium supplements can help they should not be replacements for these essentials.

• Model accountability and culture By placing trust in the legitimacy of employees claims but still requiring unwavering valid evidence regardless of the circumstances you’re reinforcing a mutual respect. Employees should feel their mental health is valued but also know that standards apply consistently to everyone who puts these claims in.

So yes, Tony. The shift is real and it really matters, but it doesn’t automatically mean every reference to anxiety or a mental health day signals a legitimate crisis. You as a leader need to professionally navigate the grey area between legitimate need and casual excuse. If you lead with a clarity and empathy structure you’ll set the tone for a workplace that supports wellbeing or maintaining accountability for your team and also for yourself. This will not only benefit your employees but your workplace overall.

Stay sharp,

Dr Zac.

Got a question? Email askdrzac@drzac.com.au

Follow @DrZacTurner on Instagram

Dr Zac Turner is a medical practitioner specialising in preventative health and wellness. He has four health/medical degrees – Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Sydney, Bachelor of Nursing at Central Queensland University, and Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He is a registrar for the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, and is completing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (UNSW). Dr Zac is the medical director for his own holistic wellness medical clinics throughout Australia, Concierge Doctors.