08 Jul Mental Health in the Workplace
Mental illness, its prevalence, impact on individuals, societies, and the workplace is something finally coming to the forefront of health related topics. This, after long being stigmatized with little willingness by most people to discuss, admit, or desire help for this medical condition. And yes mental illness is a serious medical condition, just like heart disease or diabetes. It has its own diagnostic manual outlining 297 separate disorders. Depression alone is thought to affect more than 300 million people globally, more than that of cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease combined. Mental illness and substance abuse costs employers an estimated $225.8 billion each year, which is particularly costly when left untreated. One study estimated that workers who meet criteria for depression but are not receiving treatment utilize two to four times the healthcare resources of their peers, according to the Inc. Newsletter.
Employers should consider how they might better support employees with a mental illness. Mental health is a broader issue also obtaining more attention relative to the work place. Inclusion of mental health as part of a wellness program is an opportunity for employers to consider. Mental Health America is a nonprofit organization that describes itself as “the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and to promoting the overall mental health of all Americans”. They offer on how to address mental health in the workplace .
Mental health was even addressed at the 2018 annual meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and was consistently identified as a gap in the current portfolio of projects. To assess options for projects addressing the issue of mental health, a scoping exercise was conducted from January to May of 2018. From that exercise, the forum has created a portfolio to address mental health from a global perspective. One project from this portfolio is Mental Health in the Workplace. This is a brief description of the project:
In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, organizations should create ecosystems wherein employees can thrive physically and mentally. This project will focus on expanding the community of employers, including but not limited to private sector actors, dedicated to achieving a mentally healthy workplace; in the future, it could expand into socializing globally applicable principles for a mentally healthy workplace in accordance with guidelines in development by the World Health Organization
The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchasers, of which the KGBH is a member, was made aware of this action and recently provided a webinar presented by Peter Varnum, Lead Global Mental Health and NCDs Global Leadership Fellow World Economic Forum. Peter was interested in collaborating with the National Alliance on the project. KBGH will stay abreast of this project and any opportunities that may avail themselves for our market.
The Kansas Business Group on Health will be hosting an educational offering on mental health on Friday October 11, from 10 to noon at the Chamber of Commerce, 350 W. Douglas. More information will be forthcoming.