The Field of Computing Needs to Take Care of Its Mental Health

This article aims to bring conversations about mental health to the forefront and advocate for a change in culture so that the field of computing better supports the mental health of its community and is more inclusive of people with mental illness. After differentiating between what is meant by “me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inComputing in science & engineering Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 91 - 94
Main Authors Jeffers, Ann E., Leung, Mary Ann, Jeffers, Ann
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York IEEE 01.03.2022
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Subjects
Computation
Cultural differences
Employment
Human factors
Illnesses
Mental health
Oral communication
Pandemics
STEM
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Summary:This article aims to bring conversations about mental health to the forefront and advocate for a change in culture so that the field of computing better supports the mental health of its community and is more inclusive of people with mental illness. After differentiating between what is meant by “mental health” versus “mental illness,” I discuss factors that affect mental health and describe workplace stressors in the context of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. I make recommendations for leaders that include changing the definition of success, incorporating flexibility in job requirements, addressing toxic work environments, and creating a culture that values diversity and promotes equity and inclusion.
ISSN:1521-9615
1558-366X
DOI:10.1109/MCSE.2022.3162034