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Studies say mental illness causes more than a billion of lost work days a year in the United States.

statejournal.com
Thursday, September 23

Mental health issues may not be a subject employees speak about as openly as heart problems or coming down with the flu, but research suggests they are using as much sick leave to address mental problems as any physical ailments.

A recent study by the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health concluded mental illness resulted in more sick days among Canadians than any other chronic illness, costing the country's economy $51 billion annually in lost productivity.

Closer to home, a 2007 study appearing in the Archives of General Psychiatry found mental disorders account for more than 1.3 billion lost productivity days a year in the U.S., whether they mean taking time off from work, school or unable to perform functions at home. Major depression was the second leading cause of lost productivity, eclipsed only by back pain.

Psychologists say society is more open to talking about mental health problems than it used to be. But a stigma still is attached to the health issue.

People who admit to suffering from some sort of mental disorder may face significantly higher insurance rates even if they present relatively little risk, and there always is the concern they could be passed up for promotions or important tasks because employers believe they can't handle the stress.

"I think it is a lot easier for someone to come back and say I got the flu, I have headache ... than 'Hi, I'm just really depressed today,'" said Dr. David Clayman of Clayman & Associates in Charleston.

Employers have made progress in recent years in addressing mental health in the workplace, he said. Many companies have started employee assistance programs to provide counseling and other services to workers facing personal problems.

And there is a growing acceptance to talk about mental health ailments thanks in part to drug companies, which is both a blessing and a curse, according to Clayman.

The positive is people are more willing now to admit they have mental health issues, even if they are still embarrassed to talk about it, he said. The negative is drug companies perpetuate the misperception that all ailments can be cured with a pill.

Mental illness can have serious implications for employee performance, he noted. Mental health is closely linked to physical health, and a study of health care professionals with mental illness showed they had difficulty with cognitive functions -- such as paying attention to detail or solving complex problems -- during some of their worst episodes.

"There are people who are depressed and/or anxious and, because of that, not capable of performing their job functions," he said.

Still, overcoming the stigma surrounding mental health problems isn't easy. Dr. C. David Blair of the Center for Health Psychology in Charleston said he has dealt with veterans returning from combat with post-traumatic stress disorder who prefer to believe they were dealing with some sort of head injury. He said they view having a physical injury as more honorable than acknowledging a mental ailment.

But it's just not pride that causes people to stay silent about mental health issues. Often insurance doesn't cover mental illness to the same extent as physical illness, meaning premiums can be higher. Rates for life insurance and other forms of insurance may be higher for people with a background of mental illness, even if they pose little risk.

And Blair said employees have legitimate fears about getting passed up for promotions or being turned down for security clearances if they acknowledge they've suffered from some sort of mental ailment.

"We don't like it," he said about society's perception of mental illness. "... It is some sort of weakness."

Of course, one way for employees to justify they need time off is to have a primary care physician or some other doctor write an excuse saying just that. Blair he has done that before, writing that the patient needs time off but not specifying what the illness was for privacy reasons.