Welcome to the first issue of HealthBeat! We are writing it for you. We hope that you will find the content interesting and useful in making your workplace a safe and healthy environment for your employees. To give us your feedback on the content, and to sign up to receive the electronic version of HealthBeat, please click on the appropriate links at the top left side of this page. - Beth King, Interim Administrator, MWorks and MFit.

Workplace Health

Depression in the Workplace

At any given time, one out of 10 employees suffers from depression. An estimated 200 million workdays are lost each year due to employee depression¹. Mental illness is the number one cause of disability for American business and is second only to cardiovascular disease in total disability costs.

The good news is that depression is a very treatable disease. However, if left untreated, depression can become a chronic condition that disrupts an individual's life at home and at work.

Taking care of someone with a mental health concern at work makes good business sense. Undiagnosed employees with depression will be absent or affected by low productivity from 30 to 50 workdays per year and they will sustain average annual medical costs that are $2,000 to $3,000 higher than those of other employees.² In an unpublished study, a large east coast company cut by half the $14 million of total cost attributed to depressed workers by providing vigorous treatment.³

The first step is recognizing the symptoms of depression. Employees experiencing depression may exhibit the following symptoms at work:

• Lower productivity than normal
• Decrease in morale
• Accidents
• Excessive absences
• Seemingly unable to cooperate with others
• Reduced problem-solving ability
• Low energy
• Frequent complaints about various aches and pains
• A sense of helplessness and hopelessness
• Weight gain or loss
• Trouble concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Loss of pleasure in work

If you believe that one of your employees may be having mental health issues, the best approach is usually to meet with the employee privately to talk about your concerns in the context of their work-related performance. Think about how you can use your skills as a manager to help the person feel safe and comfortable in the meeting. It will be important to talk about the ways in which the employee is valued before raising performance concerns. Be prepared for the possibility that, while you are opening a door to offer help, the employee may not choose to walk through the door.

When an employee is ready to return to work after seeking treatment, the services of a nurse case manager will be useful, especially in job jeopardy situations. The nurse case manager works with the employee, the counselor and the manager to facilitate a successful return to work. MWorks offers case management services as well as training courses for managers around a number of mental-health-related issues. For more information visit www.med.umich.edu/mworks/disabilitymgmt.htm or call 734-975-3045.

1. Greenberg, P.E., Stiglin, LE, Finklestein, SN, Berndt ER. The economic burden of depression in 1990. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 1993; 2:32-35.
2. Smith, S. Depression, related costs on the rise in the workplace - 06/09/04. www.occupationalhazards.com/articles/11925.
3. Richard Goldberg, M.D., M.S. and Steven Steury, M.D. Depression in the workplace: costs and barriers to treatment. Psychiatric Services, December
2001, Vol 52 No. 12.

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