In the construction industry, where the pressures of work are intense, mental health issues are widespread, leading to one of the highest suicide rates of any industry. Yet this issue remains under-addressed, making trade unions even more crucial in advocating for workers’ mental well-being and offering support where employers may fall short. From creating better working conditions to providing access to mental health services and increasing job security, unions have stepped up where employers have fallen short.
Mental health in construction
The construction industry is facing a severe mental health crisis, with workers experiencing high levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. A staggering 60% of construction workers have reported suffering from a mental health issue at some point during their careers. A combination of factors unique to the industry fuels this crisis.
Drug and alcohol addiction
Substance abuse is alarmingly prevalent among construction workers, with nearly half of apprentices reporting struggles with drug or alcohol addiction. The physical demands of the job often lead to injuries, for which opioids are usually the first line of defense.
In addition, mental health is often not prioritized, leading to a high incidence of depression and anxiety. This combination has contributed to a high incidence of opioid addiction, with construction workers being significantly more likely to die from an opioid overdose than workers in other industries.
High suicide rates
Construction workers are four times more likely to die by suicide than those in other professions, making this industry one of the most dangerous in terms of mental health. The combination of long hours, physical strain, and job insecurity contribute to this grim statistic.
Long work hours and high-stress environments
The demanding nature of construction work often results in long hours, leading to burnout and chronic stress. The pressure to meet tight deadlines and the physical demands of the job create a high-stress environment that exacerbates mental health issues.
Lack of job security
Many construction workers face job insecurity due to the industry’s cyclical nature. Financial instability adds another layer of stress, further impacting mental health. Even with industry improvements, employers have been slow to fully address these issues, leaving workers vulnerable.
Why construction culture can be toxic to men
The culture within the construction industry often discourages men from expressing vulnerability. The focus is usually solely on physical strength and endurance, leaving little room for addressing emotional or mental struggles. It’s an industry dominated by a “tough guy” mentality, where showing signs of emotional distress is often seen as a weakness. This culture not only stigmatizes mental health issues but also prevents workers from seeking the help they need.
In addition to this toxic culture, there is a lack of open communication about mental health issues. Workers are rarely encouraged to discuss their emotional well-being, leading to untreated mental health problems. This lack of dialogue perpetuates a cycle where mental health issues remain hidden and unresolved.
The role of trade unions in supporting mental health
Advocating for better working conditions
Where employers are failing, trade unions are stepping up. From advocating for safer and healthier working conditions to pushing for the inclusion of mental health protocols in safety standards, unions ensure employers comply with regulations designed to protect workers’ well-being. Unions also campaign for the provision of mental health resources, such as counseling services on construction sites.
Providing access to mental health services
One of the most significant contributions of trade unions is securing workers’ access to mental health services. Through collective bargaining, unions negotiate for Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) that provide workers with the support they need to manage their mental health. These programs are vital in an industry where mental health issues are prevalent but often go untreated.
Campaigns and training initiatives
Unions play a key role in reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues through targeted campaigns and training programs. These initiatives help to create a more supportive environment where workers feel empowered to seek help. Training programs for peer support volunteers are particularly effective in providing on-site assistance to those in need.
Job security and financial support
Unions also help alleviate financial stress by advocating for job security measures, such as contract protections and stable employment. During layoffs or job transitions, unions provide critical support to workers, helping to mitigate the mental health impact of these stressful situations.
Bottom line
The mental health crisis in the construction industry is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach. Trade unions are at the forefront of efforts to address this crisis, advocating for better working conditions, providing access to mental health services, and challenging the toxic culture that discourages men from seeking help.
By supporting workers in these ways, unions play an essential role in promoting the physical and mental well-being of those who build our world.
In today’s high-pressure business environment, mental health has slowly deteriorated across all industries, sparking a big movement to push back on corporations’ lack of care. However, while most of these issues are talked about in general, the C-level executives are often left out of the picture. Yet a staggering 55% of CEOs report experiencing mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and burnout, a significant increase from previous years.
These figures highlight the growing mental health crisis even at the highest levels of organizational leadership, underscoring the need for systemic change in how businesses address mental well-being.
The link between workplace toxicity and mental health
One of the most concerning findings from recent studies is the strong correlation between workplace toxicity and mental health issues among CEOs. According to the 2024 State of Workplace Empathy Study, 52% of CEOs identified their workplaces as toxic, a situation that is closely linked to their mental health struggles.
In toxic environments, leaders may feel isolated and unsupported, which can exacerbate feelings of stress and burnout. This affects their well-being and has a trickle-down effect on the entire organization, leading to lower employee morale and productivity. But where did this toxicity start if it’s not from the CEO’s?
The pressure to be superhuman
CEOs often face immense pressure to maintain a “superhuman” image, leading many to ignore the warning signs of mental health issues. This pressure is exacerbated by societal expectations and the stigma surrounding mental health in executive circles. According to the 2024 State of Workplace Empathy Study, 65% of CEOs feel intimidated by their coworkers. It’s no surprise that many CEOs feel compelled to project an image of invulnerability, both in the workplace and at home, which can prevent them from seeking help.
What makes matters worse is that the same study also reported that 81% of CEOs agreed that companies view someone with mental health issues as weak or a burden. As a result, the stigma surrounding mental health in the executive world continues and makes it even harder for CEOs to open up about their struggles.
The importance of empathy in leadership
With so many mental health cases now coming to light and the recent strong advocation of mental health issues, toxic work culture is beginning to see a reversal. While many factors are at play, one of the leading factors is empathy. Empathy is increasingly recognized as a vital component of effective leadership, particularly in addressing mental health challenges.
However, many CEOs struggle to implement empathetic practices in their organizations. The same 2024 Empathy Study found that 63% of CEOs find it challenging to demonstrate empathy in their day-to-day roles, often fearing that they will be perceived as weak or ineffective. Despite these challenges, the data shows that companies with empathetic leadership are more likely to have healthier, more resilient workplaces.
To address these issues, organizations need to make a concerted effort to cultivate a culture of empathy. This includes providing leaders with the training and resources to manage their mental health and their employees. Focusing on flexible work arrangements, clear communication about mental health resources, and a commitment to reducing workplace toxicity are all critical steps in creating a more supportive work environment.
Accidents involving worker deaths are common in the construction industry. Experiencing or witnessing a shocking, scary, or dangerous event can lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—a disorder characterized by flashbacks, intense anxiety, and other symptoms that interfere with daily functioning. If not addressed, PTSD can lead to changes in physical responses to normal stimuli, emotions, and behavior, which can adversely affect quality of life.
Quick look
PTSD is a disorder that can develop after witnessing or experiencing a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.
If left untreated, PTSD can lead to mood disturbances and engaging in risky, reckless, or destructive behavior.
Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD—specific individuals are more susceptible.
Avoidance, intrusive memories or uncontrollable thoughts, negative mood, and intense anxiety are some of the most common PTSD symptoms.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and cognitive processing therapy are some PTSD treatment options.
What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
PTSD develops in some people who’ve witnessed or experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. For some people, the thoughts or memories attached to these events can adversely affect their lives long after any real danger has passed. These types of experiences are labeled as “traumatic.”
It’s normal for people to have temporary difficulty in adjusting and coping with a traumatic event. However, if symptoms persist for weeks, months, or even years after the event, they could be diagnosed with PTSD.
PTSD typically can’t be ‘treated’ without help from a medical professional. Counseling or therapy can help minimize symptoms, but depending upon the severity of trauma and the person’s life experiences (and previous traumas), some symptoms may persist after treatment.
This disorder has been well-known for generations, thanks to doctors’ awareness of battle fatigue or “shell shock” in combat veterans—but you don’t need to have been through war or civil unrest to experience PTSD.
According to the National Institute on Mental Health, the lead federal agency on research on mental disorders, even a person close to someone who experienced a traumatic event may also develop PTSD, despite not having experienced the traumatic event themselves.
PTSD is more common than many people might think. According to the National Center for PTSD, at least six of every 100 people will experience PTSD at some time in their lives.
Causes and risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a natural response to traumatic events, such as car accidents, fires, falls, and deaths, but it can also develop from being involved in natural disasters, such as a hurricane, floods, or earthquakes.
Some people experience traumatic events and don’t develop PTSD, as several factors play a part in whether a person will develop the disorder. Certain risk factors increase a person’s susceptibility to developing PTSD, whereas protective factors reduce the risk.
PTSD risk factors include:
Previously experiencing dangerous events and trauma
Having a history of mental health or substance use/abuse problems
Feeling helplessness or extreme fear
Inadequate support system after the traumatic event
Feeling guilt, shame, or responsibility for the event or its outcome
Experiencing additional stress after the event
The following image shows other empirically validated risk factors for PTSD:
Photo source: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adults: Impact, Comorbidity, Risk Factors, and Treatment
Extensive network of support (family, friends, counselors, etc.)
Participating in a support group after a traumatic event
Feeling confident about one’s actions regarding the event
Having a coping strategy to deal with the traumatic event
Being able to act and respond effectively despite feeling fear
Post-traumatic stress disorder signs and symptoms
PTSD symptoms usually begin within a month of a triggering event but may not arise for years after the incident. Symptoms include but aren’t limited to:
Avoidance
Intrusive memories or uncontrollable thoughts about the event
Negative changes in thinking and mood
Changes in a person’s physical and emotional reactions
Flashbacks to the event that triggered the PTSD
Nightmares and intense anxiety
Panic attacks
Inability to handle the trauma and move on with life
Symptoms interfering with daily functioning
PTSD can lead people to engage in self-destructive behaviors like overdrinking or drug use. It can create rifts in relationships, interfere with a person’s career, or lead to self-harm or suicidal thoughts or actions. That’s why it’s important to recognize the symptoms of PTSD and to seek help.
To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must present with all of the following for at least one month:
At least one symptom of re-experiencing the traumatic event
At least one symptom of avoidance due to the trauma
At least two arousal symptoms and reaction symptoms that are related to the trauma
At least two cognition (ability to work and function) and mood symptoms
Re-experiencing symptoms include having flashbacks that re-live the traumatic event, including symptoms like a racing heart or sweating. Such symptoms also include having recurring memories or dreams related to the event, having distressing thoughts, and experiencing physical signs of stress.
Thoughts and feelings, words, objects, or situations that are reminders of the event can be triggers.
Avoidance symptoms include staying away from places, events, or objects that remind of the traumatic experience and avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the trauma. Avoidance symptoms may cause people to change their routines.
Arousal symptoms are often constant in someone with PTSD. They can lead to feelings of stress and anger and may interfere with parts of daily life, such as sleeping, eating, or concentrating on tasks.
Arousal and reactivity symptoms include:
Being easily startled and feeling tense, on guard, or on edge
Having difficulty concentrating
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Feeling irritable and having angry or aggressive outbursts
Engaging in risky, reckless, or destructive behavior
Cognition and mood symptoms can make a person feel detached from friends, family, or daily life, like they are observing things rather than experiencing them. That symptom is called derealization or detachment.
Cognition and mood symptoms include:
Trouble remembering essential parts of the traumatic event
Feeling negative about oneself or the world
Having ongoing negative emotions, such as fear, anger, guilt, or shame
Losing interest in enjoyable activities
Feeling socially isolated
Having difficulty feeling happy, satisfied, or positive
Derealization isn’t uncommon in people who have PTSD and is, generally speaking, a feeling of unreality on the part of the person experiencing the symptom. The symptom has been aptly described as feeling as if you are in a movie—things don’t feel real. For some, there’s a numbness, a detachment, even a fog that removes the sufferer from daily life. And it’s as dangerous on a construction site as a mad-drunk backhoe operator.
The implications of a PTSD-afflicted construction worker being onsite, laboring in a mental fog, or feeling strangely detached because of unresolved trauma while performing dangerous construction tasks are scary. That worker’s life—and the lives of co-workers—could be on the line because of this worker’s untreated illness.
Derealization episodes can last minutes or even days or months at a time. Symptoms of derealization include:
Objects around you feel unreal or distant
Familiar places are strange and unfamiliar
You feel you’re looking at the world through a fog
You’re unable to remember what you are doing
Why some people develop PTSD and others don’t
Biological factors and previous life experiences, such as childhood physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, can increase the risk of developing PTSD after a traumatic event. Women are also statistically more likely to develop PTSD than men.
However, a recent study published in Biological Psychiatry found that the body’s hormone stress response may explain why some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder following trauma exposure and others don’t. “There are considerable differences in the levels of glucocorticoids that individuals release to the bloodstream when stressed,” states Carmen Sandi, one of the study’s corresponding authors. “Low glucocorticoid levels are frequently observed in PTSD patients following trauma exposure and were initially suspected to be a consequence of trauma exposure.”
Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones produced by the adrenal glands in response to stressful situations. The body has two systems that control hormone output: sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest). As you probably guessed, cortisol is released during the fight-or-flight response. Think of the sympathetic nervous system like a gas pedal in a car—hit the pedal, and you trigger the fight-or-flight response, which provides the body with energy to respond to perceived dangers. The parasympathetic nervous system acts like a brake, and until you hit that break—not just release the gas pedal—your body stays in that mode and continues to thrive on cortisol.
In short, researchers of the study suggest that “there’s a direct implication of low glucocorticoid responsiveness in the development of PTSD symptomatology following exposure to traumatic experiences, i.e., impaired fear extinction.”
Takeaway message: A blunted corticosteroid response not only predicts but may also contribute causally to core PTSD symptoms. As such, glucocorticoid treatments may benefit patients with diminished glucocorticoid responsiveness.
When to seek help
Seeking treatment for PTSD can be a difficult task for some people, but nonetheless important. If you’ve experienced a traumatic event and symptoms persist beyond 6 to 8 weeks after the initial incident, it might be time to speak to your healthcare professional.
Here are some signs that it might be time to seek help:
If you have disturbing thoughts about the event for over a month
If those thoughts are severe
If you can’t seem to get back on track after the triggering event
A healthcare professional with experience helping people with PTSD can make an official diagnosis and come up with a treatment plan. Treatment options vary, and not every option will work for everyone; some may also find that a combination of approaches offers the greatest benefit.
Other treatment options do exist, and some drugs can also be prescribed to treat this disorder.
Here’s a breakdown of the four recommended therapy options.
1. Cognitive behavioral therapy
CBT focuses on changing patterns or behaviors, feelings, and thoughts that lead to difficulties in functioning. It focuses on how changes in any one domain can improve functioning in the other domains. The idea behind cognitive behavioral therapy is to encourage patients to re-evaluate their thinking patterns and assumptions to identify unhelpful patterns (“distortions”) in their thinking, such as overgeneralizing bad outcomes, negative thinking that diminishes positive thinking, and expectations of catastrophic outcomes, to more balanced and effective thinking patterns. Put simply, CBT helps an individual reconceptualize their understanding of traumatic experiences, their understanding of themselves, and their ability to cope.
2. Cognitive processing therapy
CPT has been an effective treatment for people with PTSD resulting from rape, child abuse, natural disasters, and combat. This therapy helps patients learn how to challenge and change destructive beliefs related to the trauma. It also helps them create a new understanding of the traumatic event, reducing its negative effects.
3. Cognitive therapy
CT helps alter pessimistic views and memories of trauma to interrupt the behavioral “and/or” thought process that’s interfering with the person’s daily life. It’s delivered in weekly sessions over a few months.
4. Prolonged exposure therapy
PET is a form of behavioral therapy that helps individuals confront their fears. It teaches people to gradually approach their trauma-related memories, feelings, and situations and learn that trauma-related memories and cues are not dangerous and do not need to be avoided. As with most other PTSD therapies, PET typically occurs in weekly sessions over a few months.
Take the time to heal and get stronger
Regardless of the severity, anyone who experiences a workplace injury typically takes time off to allow the injury to heal and return to work as normal. For people struggling with PTSD, seeking treatment often isn’t the immediate course of action as it would be with a workplace injury—it typically takes something significant for them to do so.
If you or someone you know is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, don’t let it control your or their life. Pay attention to the signs, and don’t be afraid to seek help.
The pain of trauma resulting from PTSD can lead people to destructive behaviors like drinking, drugs, or avoiding everyday situations or people, which can cause havoc in their personal and work relationships. It can put them in a fog where they feel like they’re going about their daily life, not living it.
That ‘haze’ is dangerous for the average person but much more so for construction workers. Construction is dangerous, and lack of awareness and presence can be life-threatening.
As noted, treatments are effective and widely available—it just takes the right steps to get there. Healing from PTSD might be a long road, but it’s worthwhile.
As many ancient philosophers said, it’s important to know yourself. People with untreated PTSD are juggling a sort of psychic (or soulful) duality between their wounded, unhealed soul and their tenacious soul plugging away at life. For those who choose to heal, PTSD treatment will bring together those two halves of the soul to revive a stronger, healthier person.
In addition, by uniting these contradictory elements of a person’s psyche into a healthy whole, the person will become stronger-willed and more focused by not being driven by negative emotions. They also may come to see themselves as strong, as survivors, or as tenacious and perhaps even courageous.
As Suicide Prevention Week approaches, Binstock reflects on the origins of CIASP, the obstacles the industry still faces, and his personal insights after years of advocacy. Through CFMA and CIASP, he has helped lay the foundation for a safer, more compassionate industry. But as he points out, the work has only just begun.
Alexis Nicols: With National Suicide Prevention Week right around the corner, I’d love to hear about your journey with CFMA and CIASP. Can we start with your career and how these organizations have evolved under your leadership?
Stuart Binstock: Prior to working at CFMA, I had a long history in the construction industry. I’d worked for the Associated General Contractors in the early days of my career. Eventually, I was stolen away by the American Institute of Architects as the head of government affairs there for a few years. Then, I worked at the National Electrical Contractors Association, where I had a wonderful career running their management education institute.
And then I ended up at CFMA. When I looked at the job description, it was almost as if they had written it for me. It was a great opportunity; it fit my experience and interest. The CFMA was, I think, a sleeping giant, an organization that could have a lot of influence but didn’t seem to be using it. First and foremost, one of my goals was to provide excellent customer service and promote our organization through external relations. I had a lot of contact with all the other construction industry associations over the years, which helped immensely when we created CIASP. We grew the association over my 13 years in terms of the number of members and chapters. Most importantly, the quality of our programming increased immensely.
AN: How did CFMA decide to take on suicide prevention as a priority, and what specifically led to the creation of CIASP?
SB: About eight years ago, a man named Cal Beyer, who was a prominent member with CFMA, and Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, a leader in suicide prevention, submitted an article on suicide prevention for our magazine, Building Profits. This was completely uncharted territory for us—our magazine usually covers topics like tax planning or risk management, not suicide. But the editor and I decided to publish it and see what would happen.
The response was overwhelming. It sparked a “tsunami of activity.” People came forward, sharing personal stories of loved ones lost to suicide.
We had no idea it was the issue that it was. But people just came out of the woodwork and started talking about it, and we realized we had hit a nerve.
A year later, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) published a study ranking construction as the number one occupation for death by suicide. That’s when we formed CIASP in 2018 because we realized this was much bigger than just our membership—it cut across the whole industry.
AN: That must have been such a pivotal moment. I had no idea the construction industry had such a high suicide rate. Why do you think suicide is so prevalent in construction?
SB: There are several risk factors, and they all tie into the nature of the industry. Chronic pain is one—construction workers are injured more often than in other professions, and this often leads to opioid use. Opioids, unfortunately, come with their own dangers. If you take opioids for just one week, you have a 13.5% chance of still being on them a year later.
Beyond that, construction is not known for having a caring culture. That stoic, tough guy mentality means that people hide things. They hide physical pain and emotional pain. And that silence can be deadly. Access to lethal means, like firearms, is another major factor. I read recently that 97% of suicides in construction are by men, and two-thirds of those have access to lethal means.
There’s also a strong presence of veterans in construction, and sadly, veterans are already at higher risk for suicide. The Veterans Administration keeps statistics; it used to be that about 22 veterans die by suicide every day. The industry has a fair number of veterans entering the workforce after leaving the military. When you add up all of these factors, the picture becomes more apparent, though no less tragic.
AN: It sounds like a perfect storm. How has CIASP evolved? What have been some of the most impactful initiatives to help reduce suicide rates and improve mental health in construction?
SB: CIASP has been working to provide resources, raise awareness, and break down mental health stigma in construction. We’ve come a long way. Initially, we were just an educational resource with no structured way of raising funds. That’s changed now—companies are stepping up and contributing. One of the most significant shifts has been a focus on mental health overall, not just suicide prevention. Suicide is the tragic result of untreated mental health issues, so we focus on addressing the root cause.
We’ve also developed the “pathway model” to guide contractors of different sizes in creating mental health programs. It’s about giving them practical steps based on their resources. Most importantly, we’re building a network across the entire construction industry. This issue is more significant than just CFMA members—it affects everyone in construction, from large contractors to small family-run businesses. We’re trying to reach as many people as we can.
AN: What are some of the biggest misconceptions about mental health and suicide in the construction industry?
SB: One of the major misconceptions is that there are always visible warning signs before a suicide. In reality, many people who die by suicide don’t exhibit obvious signs. That’s why training everyone in the industry—employers, managers, and workers—is so important to understand mental health and support each other. You never know who might be struggling.
AN: What role do leadership and company culture play in suicide prevention?
SB: Leadership support is critical. To be a best-in-class employer, companies need to take mental health seriously. This involves creating return-to-work programs for injured workers, fostering peer support, and promoting the use of resources like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). We’ve seen great examples of companies hiring chaplains to provide on-site mental health support. It’s about creating a caring culture where people feel comfortable asking for help.
AN: What are your hopes for CIASP and the construction industry? What more needs to be done?
SB: We’ve made progress but still have a long way to go. The awareness is there—more companies are paying attention and taking action. But smaller contractors often feel like they don’t have the time or resources to address mental health. We need to reach these smaller companies and make them realize that everyone can do something, regardless of size. It’s about continuing to educate and provide accessible tools to the entire industry.
I hope that suicide prevention and mental health become as much a part of safety protocols as wearing a hard hat or harness. We need to make mental health just as important as physical safety. And I hope CIASP can continue to be a catalyst for change, helping companies and individuals address these issues head-on.
This is an issue we all have a role in addressing. You can make a difference whether you’re an employer, a coworker, or a family member. Listen, offer support, and don’t hesitate to ask for help. Together, we can start to turn the tide.
If you’re struggling or know someone who is, call the Suicide & Crisis lifeline at 988 or text HELLO to 741741.
Suicide rates in the US construction industry are three times higher than the national average, and men in high-skill and high-stakes jobs are one and a half times more likely to die by suicide. On average, one in five construction workers suffer from mental health issues. Changing the stigma around mental health and shifting to a caring culture can help facilitate greater mental health awareness and support for workers struggling with mental illness.
Quick look
The construction industry ranks second for the highest number of suicides among all major industries.
A high-pressure environment, the “macho” mentality of the industry, and opioid dependency are primary reasons that construction workers are at a higher suicide risk.
Workers with mental health issues choose not to seek help due to stigma, fear of judgment, fear of negative job consequences, and lack of awareness about accessing help.
Creating a caring culture, facilitating better access to resources, and training management are simple ways to improve mental health outcomes for construction workers.
What is mental health?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.”
But mental health is more than just the absence of mental or neuropsychiatric conditions. It exists on a broad and complex continuum that varies from one person to the next.
Mental health conditions include a variety of mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities, along with mental states associated with distress, impaired function, or risk of self-harm.
While the nature of mental well-being is mostly internal and emotional, it can manifest in a variety of physical symptoms—poor focus and attention, reduced sleep quality, loss of appetite, impaired interaction with others, substance abuse, and low energy—and an increased risk of health complications, including panic attacks, heart attack, and stroke.
Here’s why it matters: Workplace injuries are common in the construction industry, and mental illness can affect a person’s ability to work safely, increasing the risk of injury to both themself and co-workers.
The industry is heavily focused on safety through education/training and personal protective equipment (PPE), but mental well-being needs to be included in that.
The bottom line: Mental health is your state of emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Your mental health influences how you think, feel, and act, but it also shapes how you handle stress, relate to others, and make decisions.
Mental health conditions
Statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health suggest that nearly one in five adults live with a mental illness, which translates to about 57.8 million people in 2021. While the underlying trigger differs based on the individual, common factors that can contribute to mental illness include:
Biological factors (genetics, brain chemistry)
Life experiences (trauma, abuse)
Family history of mental illness
Some common mental health conditions include:
Anxiety disorders (including generalized anxiety (GAS), panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, and social anxiety)
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Bipolar disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Depression
Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Schizophrenia
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Self-harm
Suicide and suicidal behavior
The pervasiveness of mental health worldwide can’t be understated, but there appears to be a strong link between mental health conditions and the construction industry.
Several factors contribute to higher-than-average suicide rates and mental health concerns in the construction industry. Some of these include:
Male male-dominated industry—men experience the highest suicide rates
An industry that values toughness and strength—mental issues and seeking help may be considered weak
Stigma and fear around mental health
Shame and fear of judgment
Chronic pain
Seasonal and cyclical work contribute to job and financial insecurity
High-stress and deadline-driven industry
Limited job control
Long work hours, including overtime, lead to fatigue and burnout
Relative low socioeconomic status
Inequality
Some experts suggest that a high-pressure environment, the “tough guy” mentality of the industry, and opioid dependency are some of the main factors placing construction workers at higher suicide risk.
Mental health issues are so pervasive in the construction industry that OSHA has intervened to increase mental health awareness of the alarmingly high suicide risk in the industry. OSHA also recently signed an alliance with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to promote mental health in the workplace and implement suicide prevention measures, including providing better access to healthcare professionals, businesses, and trade organizations with adequate resources and improving training to raise awareness of issues related to occupational deaths by suicide.
But despite taking steps in the right direction, suicide death rates in the industry remain devastatingly high, and the industry is still rife with compounding pressures that have adverse effects on mental health.
So, why might workers with mental health issues not seek help, even if available?
According to The American Psychiatric Association Foundation 2021 pulse survey was conducted to better understand mental health experiences and needs in the construction industry, there are four reasons why a worker may choose not to seek help:
Shame and stigma (78%)
Fear of judgment by others (77%)
Fear of negative job consequences (55%)
Don’t know how to access care (46%)
How to build mental health awareness
Many companies in the construction industry recognize the importance of making mental health resources more accessible—and many are taking steps to do so. This helps to improve worker education and awareness, reduce stigma, and shows organizational commitment to supporting worker mental health and well-being.
The American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s 2021 pulse survey focused on four key areas:
Leadership engagement
Raising mental health awareness—resources and strategies
Creating a mentally healthy organizational culture
Enhancing access to services and supports
It consisted of a 20-question online survey administered to 1,175 respondents in the construction industry. Of the respondents, 45% represented C-Suite leaders, showing the importance of these issues to upper management in the field.
Interestingly, survey findings show that a whopping 77% of Presidents, CEOs, and Owners acknowledge that addressing mental health at work is a priority—this can be done by promoting awareness, helping to reduce stigma around mental health, and encouraging people to get help when needed.
The following is a list of resources respondents said would be most helpful to share with employees:
69% – Supervisor training
66% – Employee training
64% – Toolbox talks
51% – Fact sheets
48% – Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
43% – Posters
39% – Mental health apps
36% – Newsletter content
33% – Emails on mental health
31% – Hardhat stickers
25% – Wallet cards
But while giving workers resources to improve mental health is a good place to start, organizations must also change the culture.
First, workers need to feel connected to one another and the organization. Most people value a sense of trust and community amongst their peers and co-workers, and it’s an essential part of shifting to a caring culture.
But it’s not just employees who need to care—organizational culture starts at the top, meaning it’s imperative that the C- and V-suite recognize their role in making workers feel valued and appreciated.
Additionally, a caring culture has leaders who recognize and reinforce the importance of workers caring for their mental health and well-being and seeking help when needed. This means leaders modeling and communicating that “it’s ok not to be ok” and reminding workers that mental health is just as important as physical health—they must get help for a mental condition as they would for a physical one.
2. Facilitate better access to resources
Image courtesy of MindShift CBT
Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are needed to help workers manage various issues, ranging from health problems to finances, that could result in distress or a mental health crisis. These programs are generally purchased through a vendor and are designed to offer 24/7 support to workers and their immediate family members.
Additionally, employers can:
Form peer support groups encourage mutual aid for workers going through similar situations or difficulties.
Improve awareness about mobile app availability to reduce stress and promote mental well-being.
3. Train upper management
Although most resources target workers, mental health awareness starts at the top. It’s on company owners and managers to recognize the signs of mental health issues in their employees and provide adequate resources and support.
Employers must take action by offering general training and education on stress management and mental health—for example, the benefits of proper nutrition in mental well-being and exercise as a coping mechanism for stress. Targeted training modules can help address the proper skills for managing mental health imbalances and emotional issues.
Employers should also provide upper management with further training to help them develop empathy skills, identify signs of mental health problems, and develop proper listening skills for employees who need to talk. They should also be given adequate resources to refer workers for further help.
Final thoughts
While standalone programs are essential to address the growing mental health crisis in the construction field, longer-term solutions for construction companies are critical to shifting the culture and environment that facilitates mental health problems in the first place.
Reducing the stigma, improving access to resources, and implementing a better work/life balance for employees are all important pieces of the puzzle to enhance worker mental health and minimize death by suicide.
If you think meditation is for long-haired hippies and white ladies who have recently discovered their spiritual side—it is, but it’s not just for them. Meditation is also an essential daily practice for world-renowned athletes like Lebron James and Cristiano Ronaldo, billionaires like Bill Gates and Ray Dalio, and even Navy SEALS. Meditation can be done anytime, anywhere, by anyone, and benefits of meditation extend far beyond inner peace. When working in a high-stress environment like construction, tapping into this science-backed technique can mean the difference between mental health and burnout.
Quick look
Meditation dates back thousands of years, with written records from 1500 BC.
Anyone can meditate, and those who struggle with it the most may also see the biggest benefits.
Regular meditation can help reduce stress, improve sleep, boost compassion, and even help your children’s mental health.
Mindfulness, transcendental, loving-kindness, movement, and body scan are some of the most common types of meditation.
What is Meditation?
In its simplest form, meditation is a physical and mental practice that brings clarity, focus, and awareness. Different types of meditation can accomplish different goals. Still, each one uses a tool like breathing, mantras, guided instruction, or chanting to help you let go of distraction and rumination and allow your mind to tap into stillness instead.
The age-old practice of meditation is believed to have originated in India before being quickly adopted worldwide as a part of religious and spiritual practices. Written records referring to meditation date back as far as 1500 BC. The fact that meditation is still practiced today is a testament to how simple and effective it is for both mind and body.
Anyone can meditate (even people who think they can’t)
If you feel you’re too stressed, too busy, or too easily distracted to meditate, take note: A Buddhist monk once said that in his experience, the people who struggle the hardest with meditation are also the ones who will benefit from it the most.
Construction workers exhibit some of the highest rates of stress, anxiety, and depression in any industry. While spending your days working long hours on stressful job sites may mean a heightened risk of mental health struggles, it also means that you’re uniquely positioned to reap the benefits of meditation.
No matter how hectic your schedule is or how many things are on your plate, everyone can find just a few minutes a day to meditate. It’s simple, free, and you can do it anywhere—on the bus to the job site, during your lunch break, or even when you’re waiting in line for the portapotty. When you do, you’ll quickly discover that allowing your mind to access stillness has many benefits besides feeling “zen.”
The benefits of meditation extend beyond the spiritual
Although meditation has its roots in religion and spirituality, it’s now widely practiced as an effective tool for managing the stress, speed, and busyness of modern life. Some meditators report having spiritual experiences during their practice, but many others meditate because it’s an effective way to reduce stress, improve sleep, and support their mental health.
Reduced stress
Stress is often referred to as the silent killer. It’s been shown to have a direct association with six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments and respiratory disorders, accidental injuries, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.
There’s nothing worse than working a 14-hour shift, coming home exhausted, and then being unable to sleep (or falling asleep quickly, only to wake up a few hours later). Meditation has been shown to help you reduce insomnia and improve sleep quality. Some studies have even found that meditation can improve sleep as much as a prescription sleeping pill—without the cost and potential side effects.
Increased compassion
Metta meditation (also called kindness-based meditation or loving-kindness meditation) has been shown to help you feel more compassionate for others while boosting your sense of self-compassion. Compassion is a critical component of healthy relationships and may help you get closer to the important people in your life.
More resilient children
You can benefit from a regular mindfulness practice like meditation in many ways, but many would be surprised to know that these benefits trickle down to your kids, too. Children of more mindful parents display lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
5 Common meditation techniques
There are many different styles of meditation, and it may take a few tries to find the one that’s right for you. These five popular types of meditation are a great place to start.
Mindfulness meditation is a simple technique for bringing awareness to your thoughts. Don’t judge what comes to mind or try to control your thoughts; just notice them as they come through. A common analogy invites you to see each thought as a leaf floating down a river. Notice it, then let it continue flowing downstream.
Transcendental meditation uses the Transcendental Meditation (TM) Technique, developed by Indian spiritualist Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The TM Technique involves doing a 20-minute mantra meditation twice a day.
Loving-kindness meditation, also called Metta meditation, uses a specific mantra to cultivate a spirit of compassion and goodwill toward yourself, a loved one, a stranger, an enemy or difficult person, and finally, all living things.
Body scan meditation directs your awareness to each part of your body as you focus on the sensations you might be feeling there—tension, relaxation, or even pain. It can improve the mind-body connection.
Movement meditation is perfect for those who find it hard to sit still. This style asks you to bring awareness to each movement and move with purpose as you walk, garden, do yoga, or any other physical activity.
Under the Hard Hat’s quick-start guide to meditation
If learning about the many benefits of meditation has convinced you to try it, here’s how to get started.
Sit comfortably. You can use a straight-backed chair, sit cross-legged, or kneel on a pillow, whichever feels best. Avoid lying down or curling up on a comfy couch—you need to remain alert for your meditation.
Close your eyes. Unless you’re doing movement meditation, closing your eyes will boost your focus and awareness.
Minimize distraction. While you don’t need complete silence, finding a place where you can meditate uninterrupted can be helpful as you begin your meditation practice.
Start small. Many of us struggle to focus for extended periods without distraction, so it can feel discouraging to try (and fail) a 20- or 30-minute meditation right off the bat. Instead, try meditating for just two or three minutes to start. After a few weeks, increase the time to five minutes, then ten, and so on. Setting yourself up for success will help you continue your practice.
Use a timer or guided meditation. Setting a timer means you won’t interrupt your meditation to check the clock. Guided meditations feature a teacher who will talk you through a meditation, helping you retain focus. You can find many guided meditations on YouTube and in free meditation apps like Calm and HeadSpace.
If you spend your days working on open-air job sites, you may think that the last thing you need is more time outside. But being outside isn’t the same thing as enjoying the great outdoors. Hiking lets you get out into nature while also helping your mind, your heart health, your waistline, and your mood.
Quick look
Hiking can reduce stress and anxiety while boosting optimism.
Hiking also has physical benefits, including improved heart health, greater lower-body strength, and burning up to 760 calories an hour.
The endorphins released by hiking can act as a painkiller and mood-booster.
4 ways hiking can help your mind and body
After a long week, it’s tempting to sit down, put your feet up, and fall into a TV coma. But when Monday morning rolls around, it doesn’t feel like you really did anything. The weekend flew by, and you have nothing to show for it.
Hiking is much more than yet another item to add to your “should” list; it’s a low-cost, high-reward way to reduce stress, improve health, and squeeze the most out of your time off.
1. Hiking reduces stress
Many people are chronically stressed and don’t even know it—and when your day job is all about long hours in a high-pressure environment (and often less-than-ideal work conditions), you’re almost shoo-in for a stress-filled basket case. And because stress shows up differently for everyone, you might not feel stressed, but you could be.
Here’s the fix: research shows that hiking can reduce stress levels, improve mood and mental well-being, and help you feel more optimistic.
One study showed that people who walked in a forest had fewer ruminating negative thoughts and less activity in the part of the brain linked to mental illnesses. People who walked beside a highway, however, didn’t have the same benefits.
2. Hiking boosts heart health
Roughly 5.3 million premature deaths each year are linked to physically inactive lifestyles. According to data from the American Heart Association, 1 in 25 construction workers have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. It doesn’t stop there—1 in 4 are obese, 1 in 25 have diabetes, and nearly 50% don’t get enough exercise.
It’s crucial to keep your body active and your heart healthy, and hiking can help you do both.
A good hike gets your heart rate up and improves your heart health, which is an important step toward reducing your risk of heart attacks and strokes. The World Health Organization recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. Hiking once or twice a week is a great way to meet this requirement while also enjoying the sunshine, great views, and, hopefully, great company.
3. Hiking helps you lose weight
Stress, poor diet, and a lack of physical activity all contribute to the high rate of obesity in the construction industry. While we don’t condone body-shaming of any sort, there’s no arguing that obesity isn’t healthy. Your health is affected by many factors, and while being thin doesn’t necessarily mean being healthy, carrying extra pounds puts a lot of extra strain on your body.
Carrying just 10 extra pounds puts an additional 30 to 40 pounds of force on your knees with each step, in addition to the extra strain on your organs. Being overweight can also affect your mental health.
Studies have also shown an interesting connection between depression and obesity: People with obesity have a 55% higher risk of developing depression over time, while those who are depressed have a 58% higher risk of becoming obese. Getting down to a healthy weight can interrupt this feedback loop.
While diet is important in maintaining a healthy weight, physical activity is another big piece of the puzzle. Spending hours running on a treadmill or sweating through a HIIT class might not be your thing, but hiking can build endurance, burn calories, and strengthen the biggest muscles in your body.
A 210-lb person hiking at a mild 1-5% grade for an hour can burn around 500 calories. If you choose a steeper hike with a 6-15% grade, you’ll burn 760 calories an hour.
Whether you want to get down to a healthier weight or prevent the number on the scale from creeping steadily upward, hiking is the gift that just keeps on giving.
4. Hiking makes you feel good
Hiking helps your body release endorphins, which can help you feel happier, more optimistic, and more energetic. These chemicals can also reduce the feeling of pain in a similar way to Tylenol and can even have some of the same effects as morphine but without the risk of addiction or dependency.
Even just being immersed in natural environments like those found on hiking trails has been shown to help you feel good. Research shows that simply spending time in nature can decrease your blood pressure, relax your nervous system, and strengthen your immune system.
How to get started
Taking advantage of all the benefits hiking offers requires little more than a good pair of shoes and a few inexpensive supplies.
Find a hike
Apps like AllTrails are a great tool for finding routes near you. Each hike has information about distance, estimated time, and difficulty level. You can also read tips and reviews and see pictures posted by other hikers. We recommend starting with a short, easy hike to see how it goes.
Keep equipment simple
To get started hiking, you don’t need a fancy backpack, high-tech gadgets, or a wardrobe full of North Face gear. This list of 10 basic things is enough to get started.
Comfortable shoes
Sunhat, sunscreen, and/or sun-protective clothing
Extra clothing (it typically gets colder the higher you hike, and it’s not unusual to find snow at the top of some hikes in the middle of summer!)
Plenty of water (more than you’d think you’ll need, especially if it’s hot out)
Snacks (trail mix, granola bars, sandwiches, or protein bars are great easy options)
Comfortable shoes
Basic first-aid kit
Headlamp
Knife
Bring a friend
Hiking with a buddy is not only safer, but it also means you get to blend a fun hangout with a healthy activity. Human beings are social animals, and there are tons of benefits to spending time with other people. If you don’t know anyone who likes hiking, many cities have local hiking groups to join, which can also help you meet new people.
Take precautions
Remember to hike safely. Bring bear spray if bears are in your area, and research any other high-risk animals on hiking routes in your area, like cougars, wolves, snakes, and even skunks. Make sure you know how to look out for, retreat from, or defend yourself from these encounters.
Always let someone know where you’ll be hiking and when you expect to be back, and download a copy of the trail map so you can access directions offline if you get caught without cell service (the AllTrails app automatically does this).
Wellbeing, one step at a time
Lowering your stress levels can lead to a difference you can feel. By helping your body release stress through hiking, you’ll sleep better, give your muscles a chance to relax, and feel happier—all of which will give you energy and motivation to take on the week ahead.
Finally, remember that you define what hiking is to you. You don’t have to be scaling mountains or heading out on weeks-long expeditions across the Andes (unless that’s what you’re into!). You’re far more likely to continue hiking (and reaping the benefits of doing so) if you actually like doing it. So pack some awesome snacks, choose a route that appeals to you, and take a hike—literally.
“You are what you eat” isn’t just a cliche—it holds profound truth, particularly in construction. Your dietary decisions and gut health directly influence your mental health and well-being through the intricate network known as the gut-brain axis. Getting more sunlight, cleaning up your diet, and avoiding excessive alcohol and tobacco are simple ways to improve gut and mental health.
Quick look
Mental health in construction is a critical issue, with high suicide rates and stress levels.
Understanding the gut-brain axis can be vital for your health; it governs communication between the gut and brain, impacting mental well-being.
The enteric nervous system (ENS) and vagus nerve play crucial roles in this axis, influencing digestion, mood, and stress responses.
Serotonin is produced mainly in the gut and is crucial for mental health—and it’s largely affected by diet.
Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome through diet, supplements, and lifestyle choices can positively impact mental well-being.
Mental health in the construction industry
Mental health is a pressing issue in the construction industry, often intensified by the pressure to appear tough and handle problems alone.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. show alarmingly high suicide rates among male workers at 65.6 per 100,000 people and female workers at 25.3 per 100,000 people.
While research on the relationship between occupation and suicide rates in Canada isn’t conclusive, the construction site’s environment, marked by dangerous conditions and irregular schedules, contributes to heightened stress levels and mental health challenges. Understanding the gut-brain axis, which governs communication between the gut and the brain, can show how your day-to-day diet and lifestyle choices can influence your mental health.
The gut-brain axis
Just as the construction site relies on effective communication between its team members to ensure a project’s success, your gut communicates extensively with your brain physically and biochemically through what’s known as the gut-brain axis.
Enteric nervous system (ENS)
If you’ve ever had a “gut feeling,” you’re tapping into signals from your enteric nervous system (ENS), often called the “second brain.”
This network of neurons runs through your digestive system, from the throat to the stomach, intestines, pancreas, and gallbladder. The ENS is part of the autonomic nervous system, collaborating with the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) branches to control unconscious behaviors like heart rate, digestion, and breathing.
Within the ENS, sensory neurons monitor various factors, such as the tension in your gut walls, the chemicals in your stomach and intestines, and hormone levels in your bloodstream. The system plays a vital role in the gut-brain axis, communicating bidirectionally with the brain. This connection is crucial for maintaining digestive functions and mental well-being.
Research shows that the state of the gut can significantly affect mood, emotions, and thought processes. For example, when stressed, your gut might react by changing its secretions, leading to symptoms like diarrhea. This happens because stress can trigger the ENS to become overactive, causing increased gut contractions and accelerated food movement through the digestive tract.
On top of that, the gut also produces a whopping 90% of your “feel-good” neurotransmitter, serotonin. This highlights the ENS’s importance in mental health, as disruptions in gut-brain communication can affect serotonin levels and contribute to conditions like anxiety, depression, and even neurodegenerative diseases.
Vagus nerve
The vagus nerve, the tenth cranial nerve, is a vital part of the gut-brain axis, serving as a crucial link between the gut and the brain. Like a busy road, it facilitates the exchange of messages that impact both physical and mental well-being.
Originating in the brainstem and extending throughout the body, the vagus nerve connects to organs such as the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. Its role is multifaceted—not only does it transmit sensory information from the gut to the brain, but it also conveys commands from the brain to regulate gastrointestinal (GI) functions like peristalsis, secretion of digestive juices, and gut motility. Moreover, the vagus nerve plays a key role in regulating the immune system and maintaining a healthy balance within the gut.
But where we want to focus is on the vagus nerve’s role in mood. It has a significant influence on mood and behavior by connecting with brain areas associated with emotions and stress. Disruptions in its function can lead to various health issues, including gastrointestinal problems, mood disorders, and inflammation.
Key takeaway: This intricate interplay between the vagus nerve and the gut-brain axis highlights the mechanisms underlying gut-brain communication and underscores the importance of maintaining its optimal function for overall well-being.
Gut health and mental health: What’s the link?
The microbiome and serotonin production are the primary link between your gut and mental health.
Microbiome
The microbiome refers to the community of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.) that live in and on the human body, with the gut having the largest concentration of microbiota. The microbiome influences your enteric division and central nervous system.
Picture your body as a construction site and your microbiome as the team of workers managing the project.
Just as a construction site needs various specialists like architects, engineers, and laborers to build a strong and functional structure, your microbiome consists of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses working together to keep your body running.
The architects are the bacteria responsible for shaping the environment, determining which nutrients are absorbed and how the immune system responds.
The engineers are involved in breaking down food and maintaining the integrity of the gut barrier—the lining of your gut that allows the uptake of essential nutrients and functions as a gatekeeper to prevent pathogenic molecules and bacteria from entering the GI tract.
The laborers are microbes that help with digestion, waste management, and the production of neurotransmitters that affect mood and brain function. One important neurotransmitter your gut produces is serotonin, a key regulator of mood, emotion, and cognition.
Each person or job site has a unique network of microbiota that’s determined by one’s DNA. Just like a project, if one type of worker is missing or not performing optimally, disruptions occur, leading to health issues.
But here’s the critical detail: the composition of your gut microbiome is connected to your mental health. Changes in the types and amounts of gut bacteria affect mental health and even predispose you to conditions like depression and anxiety. Conversely, maintaining a healthy gut through a balanced diet, probiotics, and healthy lifestyle choices can positively impact mental well-being.
The role of serotonin
Your mood and food are deeply intertwined. Remember, 90% of your serotonin is produced in the gut.
Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters that is crucial for your mental well-being. Optimal serotonin levels are associated with feelings of well-being and happiness, while low serotonin levels are associated with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Serotonin serves multiple functions in the body, such as modulating emotional responses, fostering emotional balance, and aiding stress management. It also plays a role in:
Memory
Learning
Decision-making
Sleep regulation
Appetite
Social behavior
Formation of meaningful relationships
Serotonin also plays a crucial role in the function of the ENS. It can modulate neuronal activity within the ENS, influencing gut motility, secretion, and sensory processing. Dysfunction in serotonin signaling within the gut has been implicated in various gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and indigestion.
Lack of serotonin or disruptions in serotonin signaling pathways is also frequently observed in various psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety disorders. Consequently, medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed to restore the balance of serotonin and alleviate symptoms.
Interestingly, GI disorders often co-occur with psychiatric disorders, suggesting a potential link between ENS dysfunction, gut serotonin signaling, and mental health.
Here’s the kicker: For your body to produce adequate serotonin, it requires sufficient levels of tryptophan, an essential amino acid obtained through diet from protein.
Tryptophan undergoes conversion into serotonin within specialized cells lining the GI tract, known as enterochromaffin cells (EC). Within EC cells, tryptophan is then converted into serotonin through a series of enzymatic reactions. Once synthesized, serotonin is stored in vesicles within EC cells. Upon appropriate stimulation, such as mechanical or chemical signals triggered by food intake, serotonin is released into the gut lumen.
After releasing serotonin in the gut, it can activate sensory nerve fibers in the enteric nervous system (ENS). These fibers detect changes in the gut, including serotonin levels, and send signals to the brainstem through the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve carries sensory information from the GI tract to higher brain regions that regulate functions like mood, emotion, and cognition. Serotonin signaling through the vagus nerve influences these functions, regulating mood states, stress responses, and other aspects of mental health.
It should be evident that your mood and food are deeply intertwined. Understanding the complex interplay between what we eat and how we feel is crucial, especially when considering the influence of diet on serotonin levels and mental well-being.
Key takeaway: Serotonin is a neurotransmitter crucial for your gut health and mental health that is heavily influenced by dietary choices. From its synthesis in the gut to its role in regulating mood, emotion, and cognition, serotonin is intricately linked to the foods we consume. Recognizing this connection sheds light on why we may experience cravings for certain foods, particularly during stress or physical exertion. This connection between diet and your health underscores the importance of understanding how our food choices influence our feelings.
Maintaining Gut-Brain Health: Practical Steps for Wellness
Diet
There’s growing evidence to suggest that dietary choices can significantly impact mental health. Research indicates that consuming a balanced diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods may support positive mental well-being. Conversely, diets high in processed foods, sugars, and unhealthy fats have been associated with worsened mental health outcomes.
Consuming foods rich in tryptophan
Tryptophan is an amino acid that serves as a precursor to serotonin production. Only small amounts are necessary for healthy nutrition in most people. The estimated average requirement for most adults is 4-5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. For a 91-kilogram person (201 pounds), that’s about 364-455 milligrams daily.
Many foods you already have in your diet are good sources of tryptophan. Here are some examples with the serving size of the food and the estimated amount per serving:
Eating foods high in tryptophan will not necessarily boost serotonin levels on its own. Your body needs carbohydrates to release insulin, which is required to absorb amino acids. The link between consuming tryptophan-containing foods and serotonin levels is still being studied.
Prebiotics and Probiotics
Prebiotic and probiotic foods play distinct but complementary roles in promoting gut health, which in turn can influence mental well-being.
Prebiotic foods contain fibers that cannot be digested by the human body but serve as fuel for beneficial bacteria in the gut. These fibers promote the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria, helping maintain a healthy gut microbiota balance. Some good examples of prebiotic foods are:
Asparagus
Onions
Leeks
Garlic
Bananas
Chickpeas
Lentils
Barley
Oats
Rye
Probiotic foods contain live beneficial bacteria that, when consumed, can colonize the gut and provide health benefits. These foods introduce beneficial strains of bacteria directly into the gut, helping to restore and maintain a healthy balance of gut microbiota. Some good examples of probiotic foods are:
Yogurt
Kefir
Sauerkraut
Kimchi
Miso
Kombucha
Cheese such as aged cheddar, parmesan, and Swiss cheese
Maintaining a healthy balance of gut microbiota through prebiotic and probiotic foods may support both gut and mental health.
Supplements
In addition to cleaning up your diet, supplements can help restore and maintain proper gut health. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement(s), especially if you have underlying health conditions or are taking medications. Some supplements that can be beneficial are:
L-tryptophan, 5 HTP: Can help with mood, sleep, and overall mental well-being.
Probiotic supplements: Support the replenishment and proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the gut. It’s important to research what is best for you and look for high colony-forming unit (CFU) counts.
Prebiotic supplements: May contain ingredients such as inulin, oligofructose, or resistant starch that provide fuel for beneficial bacteria. Be sure to choose supplements from reputable brands and follow recommendations from your healthcare provider.
Getting more sunlight
Increasing your sunlight exposure can positively impact gut and brain health by promoting vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin D plays a role in modulating the gut microbiota and regulating neurotransmitter synthesis in the brain. If you live in an area where you can’t get natural sunlight, consider using light therapy.
Regular exercise
Regular exercise positively influences gut and brain health by promoting the diversity of gut microbiota and reducing inflammation, which can improve digestion and cognitive function. Physical activity also stimulates the release of endorphins and neurotransmitters like serotonin, enhancing mood and overall mental well-being.
Mood-boosting and social activities
Engaging in mood-boosting and social activities can positively impact gut and brain health by reducing stress levels and promoting the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. Additionally, these activities may foster social connections and support, which have been linked to improved gut microbiota diversity and overall mental well-being.
Avoiding excessive alcohol and tobacco
Avoiding excessive alcohol and tobacco helps reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, which can damage gut tissue and impair cognitive function. Additionally, abstaining from these substances supports a healthy balance of gut microbiota and may help prevent conditions associated with dysbiosis and neuroinflammation.
Getting enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential to maintaining a healthy gut microbiome, facilitating brain function, including memory consolidation and emotional regulation, and regulating hormones involved in appetite control and stress response.
Adequate sleep promotes the balance and diversity of beneficial bacteria in the gut by facilitating essential processes such as tissue repair and regeneration, immune system regulation, and hormone production. Disrupted sleep patterns or inadequate sleep duration may lead to imbalances in gut bacteria, contributing to gut disruption and associated health issues.
Bottom line
In the demanding world of construction, where job pressures can take a toll on mental well-being, understanding the link between gut health and mental health is paramount. By prioritizing gut health through dietary choices, supplementation, and lifestyle adjustments, individuals can take proactive steps to support their mental health.
Kevin O’Shea, president of Shamrock Electric Co., Inc., has one vital message to construction workers who are struggling with their mental health: call him.
It’s a message he shares as much as possible given the growing number of suicides among workers in the industry.
“I’m not a professional. I’m just some guy that would rather hear you tell me your story than hear your friend tell me your eulogy,” O’shea told FOX Business.
While he isn’t a professional in the medical sense, O’Shea has been in the industry for nearly five decades, and has come face to face with colleagues and employees who have considered suicide. O’Shea isn’t a stranger to mental health issues either, admitting that he has found ways to deal with his tremors, ADHD and depression.
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates compared to other industries. About 56 out of 100,000 men in construction die by suicide, according to data published in 2021.
In 2016, the suicide rate for men in construction and extraction occupations was over 49 per 100,000, which was almost twice the total suicide rate for civilian working men between 16 and 64 years old in 32 states and five times greater than the rate for all fatal work-related injuries in the industry.
Kevin O’Shea, president of Shamrock Electric Co., Inc. (Kevin O’Shea)
When O’Shea found how bad the statistics were, he started doing everything in his power to raise awareness about this issue.
“We have to be our brothers and sisters, keepers, that we have to watch out for each other. We have to make sure that if somebody is hurting, we recognize the signs and we help that person,” he said, adding that “if we can save one person. That’s a step in the right direction.”
In 2019, he received an unexpected call while celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary in Paris. His office manager contacted him to relay that one of his employees had informed the foreman that he may not be able to work the next day.
“Instead of the foreman saying, ‘okay, call me, let me know one way or the other,’ the foreman said, ‘what do you mean by that?’,” O’Shea recalled.
Construction workers help build a mixed-use apartment complex which will hold over 700 units of apartment housing and 95,000 square feet of commercial space on January 25, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The worker revealed that his girlfriend left him with their baby, his brother had recently died by suicide and his other brother was battling cancer. O’Shea said the worker expressed uncertainty about whether he could “go on.”
O’Shea saw that same worker at a safety meeting two years after getting him the help he needed.
“That apprentice came up to me and said, ‘Kevin, I can’t thank you enough for you and the company standing behind me in my darkest hours.’ And to me, that is what getting the message out is all about,” O’Shea said.
O’Shea frequently tells people in the industry that there is “an 800 pound gorilla in our industry called stigma. And the stigma is that you can’t talk about your feelings.”
He’s fighting to change this, and he’s not alone.
Construction workers build a single-family home in Westhampton Beach, New York, US, on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Greg Sizemore, Associated Builders and Contractors vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development, has also heard far too many about workers who have been struggling since he started in the industry about 50 years ago. Like O’Shea, he told FOX Business the rate of suicides in the industry is “alarming.”
On top of the struggles they may be dealing with in their personal life, Sizemore told FOX Business that these workers are also contending with the immense pressures on the job site.
Not only is the industry “inherently dangerous”, but every job is driven by cost and schedule, Sizemore said. This means professionals that are actually installing the work face “a tremendous amount of pressure because the end date never changes,” he said. Today, workers might also be working 10 to 12 hours per day about six to seven days a week to meet the demand needed to get the work done on time.
Construction workers work on a construction site on Lennox Avenue on July 22, 2022 in the Flatbush neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. ((Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
“We need to educate our workforce more directly on the signs and symptoms that they need to look out for when their peers or an employee that works for them may be under distress,” Sizemore said. “When we raise our awareness…this becomes an issue that we can actually be proactive about rather than reactive.”
If you or you know someone who needs help:
Kevin O’Shea’s email: Kevin@shamrockelectric.com.
He also directed people to call or text 988, which is the suicide and crisis lifeline.
Counselors with the 988 Lifeline network are trained to provide free and confidential emotional support and crisis counseling to people who are in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
These services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across the United States.
They can also get resources from the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) by going to www.preventconstructionsuicide.com.
The alliance raises awareness about suicide prevention and provides resources and tools to create a zero suicide industry by uniting and supporting the construction community, according to its website.
This post was originally written by Daniella Genovese for FOXBusiness.
In a swath of Arizona desert that will soon be home to a multi-billion dollar semiconductor plant, Justin Azbill stood before thousands of construction workers and told the story of the day he almost took his life.
Pressure had been building on Azbill for months in his job as safety director for a large Boston construction firm during the height of the pandemic. Sleep deprived and overwhelmed, Azbill said he made the decision one morning to take his own life and packed a lethal means to do so in his lunch sack.
But as he was preparing to leave for work that morning, his daughter intervened — she asked him to stay home with her that day. He did and the day provided a moment of clarity for Azbill who then sought out help from a friend.
Azbill, who got his start in construction as an ironworker, has been traveling to construction sites across the country sharing his story as he and others in the industry race to address what they say is an epidemic of suicide among their colleagues — many of whom are under increasing strain amid a nationwide construction boom and a shortage of workers.
“In the construction industry, we’ve generationally been taught that if you talk to someone about a weakness or you’re struggling then you’re weak and you won’t get hired,” said Azbill. “One of the reasons I talk about it so freely is so people know that it’s normal and it’s okay.”
Justin Azbill tells the story of the day he almost took his life. (Courtesy Justin Azbill)
The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates among professions — with the rate among male construction workers 75% higher than men in the general population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 6,000 construction workers died as a result of suicide in 2022, an increase from 2021, according to the most recent data available. That compares to around 1,000 who died from a construction work-related injury.
“When you’re more likely to be killed by your own hands than to get killed in a jobsite accident, that’s a crisis in our industry,” said Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and workforce for the Associated General Contractors of America. “We know pretty much what needs to happen to protect people physically. We’re figuring out how to protect people mentally.”
While construction wages are up and jobs are plentiful, those in the industry fear that the pressures on their workers’ mental health are only getting worse. A recent surge in construction projects, spurred by billions of federal dollars for infrastructure, clean energy and semiconductor projects have put increasing strain on an already stretched workforce. As a result, workers are putting in more than 10-hour days in harsh weather conditions, facing high-pressure deadlines and having to spend months away from home living in hotels, temporary workforce housing or their vehicles. There is also the risk of workplace injuries and a higher rate of opioid misuse along with the general financial instability of hourly work.
“There’s a lot that goes into how stressful it is, not just physically, but mentally and psychologically,” said Josh Vitale, a superintendent for Hoffman Construction, the general contractor overseeing the Intel Arizona project where Azbill recently spoke. “There’s a huge human toll. There’s no free lunch, if we want this stuff, and I think progress is fantastic, but we have to realize that we are legitimately wringing the life out of people.”
One of the biggest building booms is being driven by the semiconductor industry. Companies are planning to spend $450 billion on 80 new semiconductor manufacturing projects in 25 states as part of a nationwide push led by the Biden administration to increase U.S. manufacturing of high-tech chips that go into everything from cars to military equipment, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.
In Arizona, workers building the $20 billion Intel facility typically work two 60-hour weeks followed by a 50-hour week for months at a time in the hot Arizona weather with no paid vacation time, said Vitale. Because of a shortage of local workers, many are coming in from out of state, leaving behind friends and family and living for months or years in hotels or temporary housing.
For Azbill, a number of factors came together in a matter of months that pushed him to a place where he was close to ending his own life.
Azbill had spent decades working his way up the ranks of the construction industry, and when the pandemic hit, he was thrust into the role of Covid czar, working in an emotionally challenging and negative environment as his company tried to navigate the pandemic on their worksites, he said.
“I was working 19-hour days, and then I couldn’t sleep at night. Try that for six months and see where someone would be,” he said. “You start seeing everything negatively, there is this darkness. I was crying myself to sleep.”
At home, his relationship with his wife and daughter was fraying because for months he had barely been around, but he worried that if he cut back his hours at work he would let his family down financially, he said.
“At the time, I didn’t think that my wife or my daughter really cared for me because for six months I was angry all the time, they were cautious being around me, they didn’t want to cause more problems for me,” Azbill said.
After about six months, Azbill said he hit a breaking point. There was a Covid outbreak on a job site after some workers weren’t following safety protocols. The incident angered him in a way he’d never experienced. He said he blacked out and started having thoughts of suicide. He knew something was wrong so he went home to try to get some sleep.
He woke up at 2:30 a.m. the next morning and decided he was going to take his own life. He wrote three good-bye letters: one to his mother, one to his wife and one to his daughter.
“Before I left, I said ‘goodbye. I’m going to work, I love you guys,’” he said.
Then, his eight-year-old daughter, who was doing remote school, came running out of her room.
“She says ‘papa papa,’ and anytime she calls me papa she steals my heart. It’s also her way of saying she loves me,” Azbill said. “I think she knew I was struggling bad, and I was her best friend. She said ‘papa I love you, spend time with me, I don’t like my teacher and I don’t like school, can you spend time with me today?’ And so I did.”
Azbill stayed home from work that day and watched his daughter.
In the afternoon, he got on a weekly Zoom call with dozens of other safety professionals in the industry. Near the end of the call, one of the participants began crying, talking about losing one of his best friends to Covid and shared how he was struggling with the loss.
“I call that my clarity moment, it completely changed my mindset,” he said. “I realized, I can’t do that. I’m not going to do what I was thinking.”
After the Zoom meeting, Azbill called a friend and shared that he was struggling. His friend told him how important he was to those in his life and that people are grateful for all he does. That phone call, he said, helped save his life.
At the Intel project, the site’s general contractor, Hoffman Construction, has tried to tackle the risk of suicide in a number of ways across its worksites after the company lost two of its supervisors over the past several years to suicide, said Vitale. Intel doesn’t employ any of the construction workers on the site or have direct involvement in the construction process.
The company has created community center-style spaces on its worksites where workers can have some personal space, attend a substance misuse meeting or talk with a peer who can help connect them to mental health resources. It also started including discussions about mental health in its regular staff meetings.
“It would be rare to find someone in the industry who hasn’t known a person that has taken their life within the last year or two,” said Vitale. “As an industry, we just keep putting more and more pressure on the worker to outperform what they’ve done before, and at some point it’s just untenable.”
Vitale has gotten involved in a number of efforts to reduce suicides in the industry after he struggled with his own mental health crisis after the loss of his baby, he said. Several times a week, he said he is involved in a suicide interventions at the Arizona job site and has counseled dozens of colleagues thinking about hurting themselves, like a young carpenter he’s been talking to recently who is struggling with the loss of his mother and grandmother.
But even with those efforts, the worksite hasn’t been immune from loss — an employee for one of the project’s contractors recently died by suicide at home over the weekend.
Alarm bells about the high rate of suicide started going off in the construction industry in 2016 when a CDC report showed construction workers had one of the highest rates of suicide by profession, leading various industry groups to start looking for solutions. For every 100,000 male construction workers, 56 died of suicide in 2022, according to CDC data. That compared to 32 suicide deaths per 100,000 men in the general population. Males have a significantly greater rate of suicide than females.
A key focus for the industry has been trying to tackle the taboo nature of talking about mental health and seeking treatment. Industry organizations have been using everything from PSA-style videos and worksite talks to stickers, poker chips and magnets plastered around job sites informing workers of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Groups have also been creating resources like worksite talks and suicide prevention training courses to help guide employers in how to talk about mental health with their employees.
Construction firm Bechtel said earlier this year that it would spent $7 million toward an effort with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to reach 500,000 construction workers with industry-specific mental health programs.
Shannon Niles, safety director for construction firm Paric Corp., said he experienced the mental toll the job can take first-hand after witnessing a coworker die on a job site when a trench collapsed on him. Niles tried to dig the man out, but was unable to save him. He said he bottled up the trauma of the incident, becoming more angry, withdrawn and drinking heavily until his family intervened and urged him to get help.
But Niles said there is an industry culture that discourages many from asking for help and a fear that showing any perceived weakness could jeopardize their job prospects.
“Construction workers think they’re so big and bad, that they don’t ever need any help. But we’ve got to realize we’re all human beings, and we all need help at some point,” Niles said.
Giving added urgency to the issue is an industry-wide shortage of workers. At the start of 2024, the construction industry needed an additional 500,000 workers on top of the normal pace of hiring to meet the expected demand, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors.
“You spend a couple hundred thousand dollars to train a superintendent for 20 years, and you’re going to throw them out the door now because they have a mental health problem or substance abuse?” said Mike Pugh, who oversees safety for DPR Construction. “They’re finding financially it’s not viable, it doesn’t pay any more to ignore and separate these issues because we don’t have anybody to replace them because there’s a worker shortage.”
It’s a stark change from when Pugh was facing his own mental health struggles more than two decades ago. Pugh said he began a downward spiral with drug and alcohol addiction following several traumatic deaths in his family. At the time he was working in a high-level position for an HVCA company that worked on large-scale commercial construction projects.
“My bosses are watching me circle the drain and nobody’s really saying anything,” Pugh said. “As men, we’re taught to take care of your stuff, take care of your family. When you’re unable to do that you feel even more shame and guilt and it just all piles on until I just kind of snapped and couldn’t do it anymore.”
Ultimately, it was his brother who urged him to get help and he has been in recovery for 25 years. Like Azbill, he now travels the country talking at worksites about the need for a culture change in the industry.
He thinks the message is starting to get through. Recently, he was at a job site in California where he had spoken about a year ago. While talking with the site’s safety manager, a laborer approached him and pulled him aside so no one would see them talking.
“He tells me ‘Sir, after your talk last year, I went home and told my wife for the first time about my drinking, and I’ve been sober for five months,’” Pugh said. “We both started crying and hugging.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
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