Mental health in the IT industry

*** Warning: This post and the links in it contain content relating to mental health, depression and burnout. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ on 1800 273 8255 ***

In the news recently, we’ve seen the high-profile deaths of some well-known names. With IT being such a stressful industry, especially IT Operations roles, this made me think about the mental health of people in our own communities – people whose names won’t make the headlines. So, I sent out a tweet:

https://twitter.com/SoniaCuff/status/1004330423072186368

To date, it’s been seen by nearly 30,000 people. Now that’s hardly “viral” in the world of social media, but what did amaze me was the amount of responses it had and the conversations it started.

Let’s talk

There was acknowledgement of conferences who have talked about this topic before, and a list of conference names and sometimes session recordings. There were organizations that help in this area, including some that are tech-industry focussed. And there were offers from people who have either spoken about mental health in the IT industry or are willing to speak in the future.

I was surprised to see that many of these initiatives have sprung up in the software development and open source communities, with not as much chatter amongst IT Pros in IT Operations. Considering we’re often monitoring and fixing critical, production systems, responding to bad patches, implementing major upgrades and being on call, stress is constant in our world. I have my own story to tell, but not in this article.

I couldn’t let all those great resources go by without shining a light on them though. Where possible, I’ve linked to recordings or event pages, and all have @Twitter handles.

I hope that something in this list helps you or someone you know. If I’ve missed anything or if something or someone should be added, please mention it in the comments.

Previously on 24×7 IT Connection

Keep your Sanity: 5 ways to Slow Down by Gina Rosenthal https://24x7itconnection.com/2017/12/05/keep-your-sanity/

Is Work-life Balance Achievable in a Tech Role by Theresa Miller https://24x7itconnection.com/2017/01/24/work-life-balance-achievable-tech-role/

Can rock stars fuel imposter syndrome, and what you need to know to protect yourself by Gina Rosenthal https://24x7itconnection.com/2017/08/14/can-rock-stars-fuel-impostor-syndrome/

Past conferences/talks

Devoxx United Kingdom

Keynote: The Science of Stress Management

@MatthewRenz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd_Tq3Drymg&feature=youtu.be

DevOps Days @devopsdays

https://www.devopsdays.org/

Richard Dalton @richarddalton