July 20169It can be the result of life trauma, loss or grief, and/or biochemistry. It is also time to acknowledge, and even celebrate the availability of very effective treatments for a wide variety of mental illnesses. People who suffer from heart disease or diabetes are encouraged to take advantage of available treatments for those illnesses, right? Those who suffer from mental illness should be similarly encouraged to seek relief from their symptoms.The costs associated with mental illness are higher than you might think. The WHO's estimate of the global impact of mental disorders in terms of lost economic output totals $16.3 million million (yes, you read that correctly) between 2011 and 2030. As an employer, mental illness among your employees will affect your company's success through high absenteeism and poor work performance. When someone is struggling with depression and anxiety, straightforward decisions and tasks become overwhelming and tough decisions and difficult tasks become impossible. This is bad for them, bad for their co-workers, and bad for your business.Given the statistics, there is a very high probability that someone you work with or who works for you is struggling to keep pace with their job and their life. The right thing to do then is to build an environment that welcomes treatment. And the good news is that excellent, effective treatments are now widely available! Not only will you be doing a great kindness for people who truly are suffering, you will be helping to change society's perceptions of mental illness. The mental health of your employees will lead to a better workplace for all and, in the end, improve the products and services your business provides.The simple act of including a depression screening at your next health fair will bring mental health into focus as a health issue. Com-pany-wide education can occur via internal communication channels--web, newsletters, event boards and many others. Lunch-time education series can include speakers from the mental health care community. Consider special training for your human resources staff to help them better understand the most common mental illnesses. Taken together, all of these relatively small actions will reduce the fear and ignorance that surround mental health. Fol-low these up with access to insur-ance benefits that support mental health services.From a business viewpoint, the mental health of your employees should be a priority. From a human perspective, job satisfaction and life satisfaction go hand in hand to create a great life. $The mental health of your employees will lead to a better workplace for all, resulting in improved products and services your business provides
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