While mental illness affects people of all ages, depression can affect people most in their prime working years. In fact, depression is the number one cause of disability in the U.S. and is considered to be a major disease burden by the CDC. Approximately 225 million workdays are lost annually due to productivity decline related to depression. This amounts to more work impairment and workdays lost than many other chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma and arthritis. Also, more often than not, a depressed employee will not seek treatment because they fear the affect it will have on their job and they are concerned about confidentiality.
Bay State employers can help boost their organization’s wellness programs while serving their employee’s mental health needs by participating in the Massachusetts Workplace Mental Health Initiative. Through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, organizations located in the Commonwealth can provide an online mental health screening at no cost. The grant also provides participants the opportunity to attend educational trainings about the financial and human cost of mental health issues in the workplace, as well as additional mental health education and promotion resources.
The online screening component of the program, which is easily integrated into a company’s website, screens for common mental health concerns including depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders and alcohol use disorders. Organizations are given a unique URL that they can place on their website—allowing employees to take a free, anonymous mental health screening anytime and receive immediate results and referral information.
Research results from a 2009 independent study, conducted by the University of Connecticut and commissioned by Screening for Mental Health® found that confidential online screenings, which are highly accessible and non-threatening to users do help with getting people into treatment. The study showed that 55% of participants, who completed an online depression screening, sought depression treatment within three months of the screening.
To receive information on how your organization can begin offering this free program to employees, please contact Sara Herman of Screening for Mental Health, Inc. at 781-591-5233 or [email protected]. You can also check out online screening sample here.