Beyond the Microscope
Building a Mentally Healthy Lab
PHOTOGRAPHY: ZAONG/ADOBE STOCK
Medical laboratory professionals often work in teams to ensure that key standards are met and policies are followed for tangible client care processes, such as blood collection, analysis and interpretation. Various collaboration and communication strategies empower teams to be professional, ethical and collegial. However, what is beyond the microscope? Another topic that teams face both individually and collectively is their mental health. In this article, I’ll use mental health to refer to a state of emotional, social and psychological well-being, and mental illness to mean a diagnosed condition or symptoms that significantly impact a person's mental health and well-being. It’s 2026 and yet talking about mental health may still be uncomfortable for many people, including medical laboratory professionals, or you may be reading this article and wondering how to start the conversation in a supportive manner. As a mental health clinician and researcher, I’ve heard from health care professionals, including those in the medical laboratory field, who question how they can foster mental well-being at work and remove the taboo surrounding mental health. Often, managers or supervisors are the ones who are looking for strategies and ideas. Consequently, this article will focus on debunking myths about mental illness and introducing strategies for team members and managers to foster mental well-being at work and develop a mentally supportive workplace. One of the most significant challenges when discussing mental health revolves around the myths that contribute to stigmas. Let’s examine some common ones outlined by the Canadian Mental Health Association and their responses along with the last myth based on the author’s clinical experience and evidence-based reports.
Myth 1:
Mental illness is an excuse for poor behaviour.
False.
Individuals with a mental illness may express themselves differently from others or demonstrate distinctive behaviours or emotions such as changes in mood, and disruptions in sleep, appetite and daily functioning. However, no one chooses to experience a mental illness. People who experience a change in their behaviour due to a mental illness may feel extremely embarrassed or ashamed around others.
Myth 2:
People who experience mental illness are weak and can’t handle stress.
False.
The “tough love” approach is one that I often hear and is an outdated approach that invalidates our emotions and feelings. People who experience mental illnesses may actually be better at managing stress than people who haven’t experienced mental illnesses. Mental illness impacts one fifth of Canadians every year, and it is estimated that by age 40, 50 per cent of the population will have or have had a mental illness. In 2026, let’s live with compassion and understanding and move away from judgment and stigma.
Myth 3:
Bad parenting causes mental illnesses.
False.
No single factor causes mental illness. The causes of mental illness are complex and generally arise from a combination of genetics, biology, environment and life experiences. However, family members and loved ones can contribute to support and recovery from mental illness.
Myth 4:
No one should talk about mental health in the workplace.
False.
Medical laboratory professionals may be less likely to discuss mental health due to stigma and face challenges in discussing topics beyond the microscope or bench. They may feel uncertain about mental health in the lab, as the other myths may also contribute to their concerns. The best ways to eradicate stigma surrounding mental illness and mental health are awareness and education. Learning about myths and moving away from prejudice are two approaches to reducing the stigma. Additionally, talking about mental health in a supportive manner can foster well-being at work.
“As someone who leads a team, consider leading by example in your support of mental health and the reduction of stigma surrounding mental illness.”
PHOTOGRAPHY: DILOK/ADOBE STOCK
By now you may have two questions:
How can I help reduce misunderstandings about these myths?
How do I contribute to a supportive environment beyond the microscope?
To help answer the first question, consider your lab environment and available information. Putting up a poster or leaving a brochure for colleagues that debunks common myths about mental health is a great first step. Alternatively, you might recommend this article in your team email/newsletter to facilitate open communication. Reflect on your own language and approach to mental health. As the myths note, we are all human. There may be times when you’ve used outdated language or inadvertently said that something was “so crazy!” Consider a person-centred approach to language regarding mental health and mental illness, such as “a person with an addiction” instead of the alternative. Or contemplate using words like ridiculous, ludicrous, or unbelievable as a replacement. As for the second question, how does your team currently support mental health and well-being? One approach is posting information about mental health services available in their vicinity such as community counselling, crisis and intervention lines, or the Canadian government site with mental health information. If your workplace offers EAP/EFAP services, provide reminders/information to your team. CSMLS also offers a Mental Health Toolkit that is available free online at mentalhealth.csmls.org. One common theme here is communication. To support mental health and reduce stress, ensure you communicate clearly with your team. Be clear about tasks and workload. If changes are coming to the lab, discuss with your team how their work may be impacted and ask for their suggestions for improvements. Be open to feedback and changes. I’ve also had several supervisors discuss the importance of acknowledging their team’s strengths. One idea is to have a jar in the workplace and ask team members to write down when something goes well. At the end of each day or at the end of the week, you, as the manager, may select one to two slips from the jar and read out recent successes. Observe your team — do you celebrate team members' strengths? Accomplishments? This also helps to foster collegiality in the lab. As someone who leads a team, consider leading by example in your support of mental health and the reduction of stigma surrounding mental illness. To do so may entail conversations with your team about how you manage your stress in a healthy way (such as exercising or connecting socially). You may mention the importance of checking in with yourself during busy weeks and ensuring you take your breaks to reset. It may even look like sharing words that resonate with you such as “tomorrow is a new day,” or “every day may not be good but there’s something good in every day.” Teams that are supported and empowered lead to healthy communication, collaboration and respect. Let’s remember to look beyond the microscope to support everyone’s mental health.
Rosina Mete,
MSc, PhD, RP, University Director and Psychotherapist
Rosina Mete,
MSc, PhD, RP, University Director and Psychotherapist