Impact of Mental Health Disorders
on Businesses
Author: Lisa Burch, ACCE Manager Benefits Member Services | Date:
02/02/2000
Source: American Chamber of Commerce Executives
Abstract:
Every year more then 51 million Americans experience diagnosable
mental disorders. More than 6.5 million of them are disabled by
severe mental illnesses that not only impair normal daily activities
(such as working, sleeping, and caring for oneself) but have a
significant impact on the U.S. economy and especially small businesses.
Approximately $24 billion (yes, billion) is lost annually in productivity
and workdays. Despite the obvious need for treatmenf only one
in four people affected receive medical treatment. Why?
[Full Text Below]
Impact of Mental Health Disorders on Businesses
Every year more than 51 million Americans experience diagnosable mental disorders. More than 6.5 million of them are disabled by severe mental illnesses that not only impair normal daily activities (such as working sleeping and caring for oneself) but have a significant impact on the U.S. economy and especially small businases. Approximately $24 billion (yes, billion) is lost annually in productivity and workdays. Despite the obvious need for treatment, only one in four people affected receive medical treatment. Why?
Maybe they are unaware of the excellent treatment that is available today. Or maybe they fear the stigma that society and the business culture attaches to mental ilIness. Either way, the consequences of allowing these medical conditions to be untreated are far too great to ignore.
In June of 1999, the White House Conference on Mental Health brought together mental health professionals, consumers, advocates and legislators to discuss the successes and challenges in combating mental health disabilities. Their conclusions indicate that education for employers and medical assistance for the sufferers is a reasonable goal that can provide positive results for the business community.
Programs that focus on treating and accommodating workers with depression and other mental health disabilities have experienced encouraging results, enabling previously disabled workers to return to productive jobs while helping businesses reduce productivity losses. For example, in 1997, CIGNA Group Insurance began using the specialized resources of MCC Behavioral Care. MCC provided clinical intervention on 250 disability claims in which employees had been on disability from 3 months to 8 years and a mental health condition was the primary diagnosis. Cigna then analyzed short term and long term disability claim activity. The results were impressive:
· 35% of the 250 claimants
were determined to be ready to work full time. This is particularly
significant because many of the claimants had been on long-term
disability for several years. Another 38% of the 250 claimants
were placed in vocational rehabilitation or transitional work
arrangements with the goal of returning them to work full or part
time.
· The average duration of mental health disability claims
decreased by 15% (11 days on average).
These results show that small businesses can't afford to ignore mental health conditions. Simply seeing that an employee gets medical treatment can make a huge difference. However, many employers still find it difficult to talk about depression or other mental illnesses in the workplace. Employers with long term disability coverage should request that the provider assist them in this process. Those businesses that don't address the issue suffer from higher than necessary absenteeism and disability costs. The reluctance to address problems may be rooted in one or more of the following myths regarding mental illness:
1. Senior managers don't suffer from depression. Hardly true, although senior managers
may be more reluctant than others to admit having a problem. In
one ongoing study of managers suffering from depression, 18% of
the sample were senior executives.
2. Women suffer
from depression more than men.
On the contrary, more men actually suffer from depression than
are reported or diagnosed. The danger in this often cited myth
is that it reinforces both disability and gender stereotypes of
"weakness."
3. Return
to work is not in the employee's best interest. Just the opposite is true. Even for employees still
receiving treatmenf simple accommodations will usually make it
possible to return employees to full or partial productivity.
Employees benefit from feeling productive again which actually
assists in recovery.
4. Return
to work endangers co-workers.
Ofcourse, workplace violence is a serious issue. To reduce the
risk of violence, employers should encourage disclosure and treatment
of mental disorders. Most people who suffer from mental illness,
even schizophrenia or manic depressive disorder, are not violent
5. People
suffering from mental and nervous disabilities are weaker than
others. These disabilities
are diseases, which often have chemical and biological causes.
Two-thirds of sufferers can be treated and return to their normal
work life. Employers should treat those with a mental illness
the same way they would treat an employee with a medical condition
like cancer.
6. Acknowledging
mental and nervous disabilities will open a flood-gate of claims
by moody people. This is a
management and performance issue. What should a manager do in
the case of a good employee whose job performance begins to deteriorate
or who shows other signs of distress? Training is necessary to
help managers deal sensitively with illnesses so that employees
can be helped before the problem becomes disabling.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the pool of skilled workers in the United States is becoming more and more scarce. Showing support for good employees who need medical treatment is not just the compassionate thing to do, it is good business.
Source: American Chamber of
Commerce Executives
Author: Lisa Burch, ACCE Manager Benefits Member Services
Date: February 2, 2000
previously internet displayed on www.acce.org
Republished by the Michigan Partners for Parity
.