Addressing mental illness at work

Bipolar disorder and depression are two mental illness problems that are costing employers millions of dollars. Companies spend roughly $146 million on mental health medications; this amount doesn't include doctor visits and other treatment methods. Mental health problems are on the rise and more employers are trying to find ways to help their employees. Currently about 3 out of 5 employees is impacted by mental health problems. Like other health problems, there are treatment methods available for mental illness.

Some of the common mental health problems include the following:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Mental health problems used to be a topic that employers would not discuss, now it is open and more and more people are starting to admit their problems with mental health issues. Almost every business will be affected by mental health problems at some point.

Employers can help their employees that struggle with mental health problems by offering help at the office. Counselors can greatly help people with mental health problems because they can offer stress relief, guidance counseling, and grief recovery.

Federal guidelines included in the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) explain how accommodations can be and in most cases, must be, handled for employees with serious mood disorders. ADA does not differentiate between a mental and physical disability, protecting millions of Americans who suffer from serious mental health issues. This is a breakthrough for employees that have suffered with mental illness and were not properly treated for it in the past.

To help employees deal with their mental health problems at work, supervisors need to learn how to establish trust with their employees and help them with their problems. They do not need to assume the role of a guidance counselor, but they need to be aware of the behavioral problems with this person. Employers also need to provide reasonable accommodations for the employee while ensuring that the expected production at work is within acceptable standards. Supervisors are often the first one to recognize a change in their employee's behaviors and as such, are in a position to support the organization's commitment to helping the employee.

When you hire employees, you need to let them know that your company does not discriminate against anyone with a mental illness. You should let people know that you will accommodate their needs as you would with a person that suffers from physical illnesses. It is also important to send a clear message to your employees that you expect them to get treatment for their mental illness problems and that they will not face retribution for doing so. When employees feel that their employer is behind them and encouraging them to seek treatment, they are more likely to do it. You must also let your employees know about privacy rules within the company. If an employee tells their co-workers about their mental health problems, there isn't, much the employer can do to protect this information from spreading to others. Everyone at the office must understand that their personal information will remain confidential and all coworkers and management officials will respect this. You also need to inform the staff that the office is non-judgmental and everyone will be treated equally despite their mental or physical health problems.

Prevention and intervention are more productive than dealing with the after-effects of mental illnesses. Employers may need to consider increasing their mental health coverage and programs. Extended insurance benefits provide more help for outside therapy sessions and diagnosis. The cost of implementing preventative measures is proving to be much cheaper than the perceived cost of losing a valuable employee.

Rating: 0/5 (0 votes cast)

---

Categories: Mental Health,

Help others find this article:
Socializer, Digg, del.icio.us, reddit, StumbleUpon

Favorites: Add to favorites
Tags: