1.
Depression is a top driver of health care costs
to employers.[1] [2]
Depression represents employers' highest per capita medical spending
(per-capita annual cost of depression is significantly more than that of
hypertension or back problems, and comparable to that of diabetes or heart
disease. People with depression also have more sick days than people suffering
from other conditions)[3].
2.
If we take a snapshot of any workplace at any
given point in time, at least one in five people will have a diagnosable mental
health condition.[4]
The most common among these are mood disorders like depression or substance
abuse disorders like alcohol abuse.
3.
The majority of people who die by suicide are
working aged people. While other groups’ suicide rates are holding steady or
decreasing, the rates for men and women in the middle years has increased
significantly over the last decade.
Here is the good
news…
4.
Everyone on a workplace plays a role in mental
health promotion and suicide prevention. By engaging in simple preventative steps
(e.g., stress management, depression screenings, etc.) anyone can help maintain
their own mental health and by learning practical tactics (e.g., becoming
suicide prevention gatekeepers, referring coworkers to employee assistance
services, etc.) employees help promote the mental health and safety of others.[5]
[6]
5.
A comprehensive and evidence-based approach to
suicide prevention and mental health promotion exists,[7]
is cost-effective[8]
and gives employers a clear guide on what to do. By being “visible, vocal and
visionary” leaders, employers can set the expectation that a culture of health
and safety is a priority and that mental health promotion and suicide prevention
are a critical part of that priority.
For more information: www.WorkingMinds.org
About the author:
Sally
Spencer-Thomas, Psy.D., is CEO and co-founder of the Carson J Spencer
Foundation, a Colorado-based nonprofit established in 2005 after the suicide of
her brother. The foundation is known for “sustaining a passion for living”
through innovation in suicide prevention. Working Minds, a program of the
Carson J Spencer Foundation, focuses on helping workplaces build capacity to
promote mental health and prevent suicide. www.CarsonJSpencer.org.
[1]
Mental Health America (n.d.) Depression in the Workplace. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/index.cfm?objectid=C7DF951E-1372-4D20-C88B7DC5A2AE586D
[2] Witters,
D. (2013, July 24). Depression Costs U.S. Workplaces $23 Billion in Absenteeism.
Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/163619/depression-costs-workplaces-billion-absenteeism.aspx.
[3]
Managed Care Magazine (2006, Spring) Depression in the Workplace Cost Employers
Billions Each Year: Employers Take Lead in Fighting Depression. Retrieved from http://www.managedcaremag.com/sites/default/files/supplements/0603_depression_in_workplace/DepressionInWorkplace_Spr2006.pdf.
[4]
Gray, T. (2004) ValueOptions Articles - Managers. Retrieved from http://www.valueoptions.com/suicide_prev/html%20pages/Mental%20Illness%20and%20the%20Workplace%20Lifting%20the%20Stigma.htm
[5]
Paul, R. & Spencer-Thomas, S. (2012). Changing Workplace Culture to End the
Suicide
Standstill. National Council Magazine. (2), 126-127.
[6]
Spencer-Thomas, S. (2012). Developing a workplace suicide prevention program.
Journal of
Employee Assistance, 42(1), 12-15.
[7] National
Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (2013) Comprehensive Blueprint for
Workplace Suicide Prevention. Retrieved from http://actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/task-force/workplace/cspp
[8]
National Institute of Mental Health (2007, September) Workplace Depression
Screening, Outreach and Enhanced Treatment Improves Productivity, Lowers
Employer Costs. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2007/workplace-depression-screening-outreach-and-enhanced-treatment-improves-productivity-lowers-employer-costs.shtml
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