Mental Health Awareness:

1
Mental Health Awareness  Information
and Resources for Employers Clare Miller,
Director
2
Partnership for Workplace Mental Health
Whats the Partnership? An American Psychiatric
Foundation educational program in collaboration
with employers and the American Psychiatric
Association. Mission To advance effective
employer approaches to mental health. www.Workpla
ceMentalHealth.org
3
What Does the Partnership Do?

• Promotes the business case for quality mental
  health care, including early recognition, access
  to care and effective treatment.
• Delivers educational materials to employer health
  care purchasers
• Provides a forum for employers to explore mental
  health issues, share innovative solutions and
  take action.

4
Workplace Mental Health

• Private employers finance 50 of U.S. health
  care system.
• Employers concerned about high health care costs
  low quality (although direct mental health costs
  remain minimal, and in fact should increase).
• Brain-based economy increased attention to
  workplace mental health.
• Mental illnesses affect people during their prime
  working years.
• In any given year, 1 in 5 adults experience a
  diagnosable mental illness or substance use
  disorder.
• Only 13.2 receive treatment, and
• Privately-insured populations have even lower
  treatment rate 5.5.
• SAMHSA 2004/NCQA 2002/Watson Wyatt Staying at
  Work Survey/
• Sederer LI et al Integrating Care for Medical
  and Mental Illnesses. Preventing Chronic Disease,
  April 2006

5
Mental Illness Impacts Business Bottom Line
6
Cost of Mental Illness to Employers

• Lost Productivity
• Overall Healthcare Costs
• Comorbidity with other diseases
• Disability

7
Cost of Mental Illness to Employers

• Absenteeism and Lost Productivity
• More workers are absent from work because of
  stress and anxiety than because of physical
  illness or injury. 2
• More days of work loss and work impairment are
  caused by mental illness than many other chronic
  conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and
  arthritis.1
• Employees with depression cost employers 44
  billion per year in lost productive time.2
• Mental illness and substance abuse annually cost
  employers in indirect costs an estimated 80 to
  100 billion.3
• Overall Healthcare Costs
• Individuals who are depressed but not receiving
  care for the condition consume two to four times
  the healthcare resources of other enrollees.3
• 1Stewart WF et al Cost of Lost Productive Work
  Time Among U.S. Workers with Depression. JAMA,
  June 18, 2003.
• 2 Marlowe JF Depressions Surprising Toll on
  Worker Productivity, Employee Benefits Journal,
  March 2002.
• 3 An Employers Guide to Behavioral Health
  Services, National Business Group on Health,
  December 2005 .

8
Cost of Mental Illness to Employers

• Comorbidity with other diseases
• Individuals with depression are about twice as
  likely to develop coronary artery disease, twice
  as likely to have a stroke, and more than four
  times as likely to die within six months from a
  myocardial infarction.1
• Disability
• Mental illness short-term disability claims are
  growing by 10 annually and can account for 30
  or more of the corporate disability experience
  for the typical employer. 2
• 53 of employers surveyed by Watson Wyatt found
  that return to work is more difficult following a
  psychiatric disability than after physical
  disability.3
• 1 Sederer LI et al Integrating Care for Medical
  and Mental Illnesses. Preventing Chronic Disease,
  April 2006.
• 2 Marlowe JF Depressions Surprising Toll on
  Worker Productivity, Employee Benefits Journal,
  March 2002.
• 3 Watson Wyatt Staying at Work Survey, 1998.

9
Depression Is Prevalent and Causes Significant
Work Impairment
Reason
Days Impaired per 1000 Employees
Population ()
Kessler RC, et al. J Occup Environ Med. 2001
43218-225.
10
Depression and Chronic Medical Illness
Percent With Depression
Medical Condition
Pincus HA. J Clin Psychiatry. 200162 Suppl
65-9 Schatzberg AF. J Clin Psychiatry. 200465
Suppl 123-4.
11
The Good News the Business Case for Quality
Treatment
12
Treatment Works

• Major depression can be treated successfully with
  antidepressant medications and psychotherapy in
  65 to 80 percent of all cases - a success rate
  that exceeds many current common medical
  treatments for non-psychiatric illnesses.
• Eighty percent of those treated for a mental
  illness reported high levels of work efficacy
  and satisfaction.
• Seventy-five percent of patients who are
  depressed show significant improvements after CBT
  treatment.
• Nearly 86 percent of employees who were treated
  for depression with antidepressant medications
  reported that their work performance improved.
• Am J Psychiatry 15010, October 1993
• Therapy in America 2004
• The University of Michigan Depression Center
• Psychopharmacology Bulletin

13
Treatment Saves Money

• One Fortune 500 company achieved a 1.71 return
  on investment by conducting a depression
  screening program.
• When aggressive care management interventions for
  behavioral health issues were instituted at one
  Fortune 500 company, outpatient costs went down
  by 400,000 the first year and by 500,000 the
  next.
• Open access to mental health results in lower
  psychiatric disability claims and productivity
  losses compared to restrictive plans.
• A Mentally Healthy Workplace Its Good for
  Business

14
The Bottom Line

• Mental illness is very prevalent in working
  populations but few receive treatment.
• Mental illness is frequently comorbid with other
  health conditions
• Treatment works and is cost effective.
• Treating mental illnesses improves outcomes for
  coexisting illnesses.
• There is a clear business case for tackling
  workplace mental health.

15
Tools to Help Employers Take Action
16
Information for Employers

• Partnership E-Updates on timely and relevant
  topics
• Dynamic web site with useful content
• Parity resource portal
• Business case for quality mental health
• Tool kits for employers on depression and anxiety
• Depression cost calculator
• Alcohol cost calculator

www.workplacementalhealth.org
17
Depression Calculator

• Free Online Tool translates research findings
  about prevalence and cost for specific company.
• Users customize for industry type, location,
  number of employees, etc.
• Used to make business case within company for
  action.
• Uses business language ROI- its not about
  doing the right thing, its the economically
  smart thing.

18
Research Works

• New series focused on translating research to
  action
• Specific workplace question answered with
  research, action steps and corporate case
  examples
• Employee Personal Financial Distress and How
  Employers Can Help
• Mental HealthWorks
• Free quarterly newsletter for business
• Research summaries, corporate examples
• Latest issue
• Overview of parity legislation
• Houston Texans experience with parity
• New research on AD/HD and workplace

19
Employer Innovations Online

• A web-based, searchable database that profiles
  employers innovative programs and practices for
  addressing mental health at the workplace.
• Actual practices of leading companies in key
  areas including
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Disability/Case Management
• Integration/Partnerships
• Benefit design
• Pharmacy Benefits
• Why/How Employer Addressed Mental Health
• Results outcomes on employee health and ROI

20
Information for Employees

• HealthyMinds.org, consumer web site about mental
  health and mental illnesses and effective
  treatments.
• Tip Sheets Back to School, Winter Blues, etc.
• Lets Talk Facts brochures for distribution to
  employees and families (print online)

Anxiety Disorders Eating Disorders Bipolar
Disorder Phobias Choosing a Psychiatrist
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Childhood
Disorders Teen Suicide Depression What is
Mental Illness? Domestic Violence
21
So What Can Employers Do?

• Use purchasing power to leverage the system and
  demand quality. Ask questions!
• Ensure access to quality treatment.
• Provide coverage to mental health equal to
  medical/surgical benefits.
• Align incentives to change care-seeking behavior
  and encourage treatment.
• Provide education at the workplace about mental
  illnesses, their impact on work, and the
  importance of seeking treatment.

22
Special FocusResearch Works Employee
Personal Financial Distress and How Employers Can
Help
23
Employee Personal Financial Distress and How
Employers Can Help

• One in every 4 American workers reports feeling
  seriously distressed by their personal financial
  situation.
• Almost two-thirds (61) of Americans report
  having serious financial problems.
• paying for gas (44),
• getting a good-paying job or a raise (29),
• paying for health care and health insurance
  (28),
• paying rent or mortgage (19),
• paying for food (18),
• problems with credit card debt or other personal
  debt (18), and
• losing money in the stock market (16).
• April 2008 survey by Kaiser Family Foundation

24
Employee Personal Financial Distress and How
Employers Can Help

• A survey found that most Americans are stressed
  and anxious about their financial future.
• The study reports that about 8 in 10 people
  identify money (81) and the economy (80) as
  significant sources of stress in their lives.
• Other sources of stress include work (67),
  family health problems (67), housing costs
  (62), relationships (62), personal health
  concerns (61), job stability (56), and personal
  safety (48).
• American Psychological Association survey in
  2008.

25
Health and Work Consequence of Employee
Financial Distress

• Workers with financial distress report poorer
  overall health.
• Distressed workers reported spending time on the
  job dealing with or worrying about money
  problems.
• 13 percent on the job dealing with money matters
• Record high utilization of employee assistance
  programs and outpatient mental health services.
• EAP providers survey found dramatic increase in
  requests for financial services from employees
  (up 88 since past year) and for help with
  laid-off employees and downsizing (up 60).
• Five to ten percent increase in hospital
  admissions for psychiatric and substance abuse
  services related to financial problems and
  accompanying symptoms, such as depression and
  anxiety.

26
Employer Action Steps

• Communicate with employees.
• Frequent communication from management to
  employees on issues of company viability in
  general and employee job stability in particular.
  
• Good communication with supervisors is essential
  so workers know what is expected of them.
• Provide Prevention and Treatment Services
• Personal Financial Education
• Credit Counseling and Debt Management
• Employee Assistance Programs (also positioned to
  provide brief psychological counseling and stress
  management support).

27
Employee Personal Financial Distress and How
Employers Can Help

• Case Examples
• Home Depot
• IBM
• Pepsi Bottling Group
• USAA
• Resources

28
DPN Call To Action

• Navigators, in coordination with One-Stop
  Business Services staff, can share this
  information and free resources with
• Employers, including
• Marketing and outreach activities (e.g., the
  Business Case)
• Employment organizations, including
• Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Better Business
  Bureau
• Employer related activities, including
• Job/Career Fairs
• Employer Forums
• Interagency Committees and Partner Agencies

29
DPN Call To Action

• Review Mental Health Resource Guide
• Tailor the MH Resource guide to fit your
  individual workforce area(s)
• Follow and build upon suggestions provided within
  the MH Resource Guide

30
Contact Us
Miranda KennedyTraining Coordinator National
Disability Institute P [phone]mkennedy_at_n
di-inc.org www.dpnavigator.net www.ndi-inc.org
Clare Miller Director 1000 Wilson Blvd., Ste.
1825 Arlington, VA 22209 P 703-907-8673 cmiller_at_p
sych.org www.WorkplaceMentalHealth.org