Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 28

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 28, 2024

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at how AI chatbots are now linked to teen suicides—to how recent natural disasters on the east coast’s wiped-out beehives will negatively impact agriculture on the west coast—to why a college football player retires at 23 while a NFL player ignores similar warning signs. This week I would like to take this opportunity to take a closer look at change: here and abroad.

First, in the US, the construction industry is seeing an exodus of baby-boomers (mostly white males) heading for retirement. As such, many trades have embraced looking towards “non-traditional” workers to help fill those vacancies in their ranks…more specifically, women. While this industrial sector acknowledges this need it still contends with age-old stereotypes and attitudes.[1]

Second, as we travel across the Atlantic, we find a rape trial underway in France, a country that has and, oddly, still does view sexual misconduct, etc. as a “part of their culture.” Wherein, the victim seemingly is guilty until proven innocent. Supporters in and outside the court room seek a new path forward while naysayers push back against a US-type legal response.[2]

Third, south of our border, Mexico recently installed its first woman as President. Weeks into President Sheinbaum’s office we are told that military force was utilized to weaken the Sinaloa Cartel. Let’s face it, hardly a week goes by in the USA where we do not hear about the negative impact of Mexican Drug Cartels on their and our societies. However, this only addresses one-half of the supply/demand equation. What is our country doing to address the latter half?[3]

In all 3 examples above, we find women are key to making system-wide changes that will eventually have positive impacts beyond their local communities. Sadly, in all 3 scenarios harassment and aggression are the evils within. To this end, a number of sayings come to mind: Slow and steady wins the race; Do not sacrifice the good for the perfect; and so on. In my opinion, a new tomorrow depends on ALL of us supporting change: here and abroad!

Source: [1] https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2024-10-10/gender-equity-among-trades-workers-increasing-but-theres-a-long-way-to-go

[2] https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/the-rape-trial-that-could-change-france-e2e711ac?st=YH7qmA&reflink=article_gmail_share

[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/world/americas/mexico-sinaloa-cartel-19-killed.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&tgrp=cpy&pvid=03C4B71F-3CA3-462B-BE35-9A42699DFC69

AI & Teen Suicide

NIOSH / Brain Health / Workforce

New Exec Council for MH in Construction

LA / Homeless / Mobile Psychiatry

Notre Dame & MH

Africa’s MH Crisis

Early Retirement’s Impact on Resiliency

GLP-1s & Food Industry’s Pivot

Texting & Emotional Affairs