Over half of Irish people believe that being open about a mental health problem in work would negatively impact their job prospects, See Change has warned.

See Change is an alliance of organisations working to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and it has just launched its annual Green Ribbon Campaign aimed at getting people to talk openly about this often hidden issue.

Previous research has found that 57% of people think that being open about a mental health problem in work would negatively affect their prospects, while 47% feel it would negatively affect their relationship with their colleagues.

However, if mental health was openly discussed in workplaces, this could have a major positive effect.

"A Mental Health Commission report estimated the direct annual cost of poor mental health in Ireland at €3 billion. Creating workplace environments where people can be open and positive about their own and others' mental health can assist employers in developing systems to support the one in four employees who may experience mental health difficulties at a given point," explained See Change director, John Saunders.

As part of this year's Green Ribbon Campaign, which runs throughout the month of May, See Change has developed a six step pledge programmme, which aims to guide workplaces who want to create an open mental health culture.

This can be done in a number of ways including through training workshops for managers, inhouse mental health promotions for staff and wellness training. More information for managers and employers is available here

Meanwhile, as part of this year's Green Ribbon Campaign, 500,000 green ribbons will be given out free of charge at Irish Rail stations, MABS offices and Citizens Information Centres nationwide. People are asked to wear them as a sign of support.

Last year's campaign was a big success, with over 1.6 million conversations about mental health being started during the month. Meanwhile, research has found that seven in 10 adults feel more comfortable talking about mental health since this campaign started in 2013.

There are a number of ways you can get involved in the 2015 campaign:

-Start a conversation about mental health (see more here)
-Add the Green Ribbon to your Facebook profile (see more here)
-Add the Green Ribbon to your Twitter profile (see more here)
-Download a supporters pack (see more here)
-Check out some of the many campaign events taking place during May (see more here)