Workplaces Quit Quietly Ignoring Mental Illness

Workplaces Quit Quietly Ignoring Mental Illness

(August 22, 2006) -- At first, it seemed as if little things were going wrong. Bonnie Harris forgot about sales appointments; she couldn't recall colleagues' names. But as her job in sales became more stressful, Harris developed intense mood swings and moments of terror. She saw psychiatrists, who prescribed various medications, but the drugs only made things worse, she says. At one point, she tried to throw herself out of a window.

It wasn't until Harris, an earlier victim of violent crime, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that she began to recover with the help of therapy and meditation. But through her entire 1991 episode, she kept working, trying to camouflage what was going on.

"I went to work every day. I was a top salesperson, working 60-hour weeks," says Harris, 44. "Co-workers knew I was moody, but no one knew how bad it was. You don't tell people at work that you have this mental illness. It's so shameful."

Symptoms to Watch for:

• Persistent sadness or anxious mood

• Loss of interest in or pleasure from ordinary activities

• Decreased energy, fatigue or feelings of being slowed down

• Sleep disturbances

• Eating disturbances

• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness

• Thoughts of death or suicide, or attempts at suicide

• Irritability

• Excessive crying

• Chronic aches and pains

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions

Today, Harris runs her own firm, Wax Marketing, in St. Paul and knows how to manage PTSD when symptoms creep up. Despite its stigma, a growing number of employers and employees are addressing a topic that has long been taboo: mental illness in the workplace. Employees' emotional health, a topic that once seemed incongruous with the survival-of-the-fittest corporate arena, is getting attention as a real bottom-line issue. Employers are beefing up mental health services as new research shows the staggering cost of mood disorders — depression, anxiety and panic disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder — can have on businesses.

For example:

•High costs. Untreated mental illness costs the USA $105 billion in lost productivity each year, with U.S. employers footing up to $44 billion of the bill, according to the National Mental Health Association, an Alexandria, Va.-based non-profit.

•Threat of litigation. Federal guidelines issued in 1997 explain how employers can make accommodations for employees with serious mood disorders. Those who don't make accommodations, such as changing an employee's work hours, could be sued. The guidelines are further explanations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In fiscal 2004, the EEOC took in $469,000 in financial settlements for employees who complained that they'd been discriminated against because of their depression: 889 cases were filed. By 2005, that amount ballooned to more than $3 million, and there were 1,005 cases filed in that fiscal year.

"There is a greater understanding among employers about these issues," says Chris Kuczynski, assistant legal counsel with the EEOC. Cases filed under the Disabilities Act have become easier to win as the public becomes more aware of mental health issues.

•More emphasis on employer help. A number of employers are enhancing mental health coverage or programs. The number of firms with employee-assistance programs, which often provide on-call counselors and referrals, has climbed from 68% in 2001 to 71% this year, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Seven in 10 offer mental health insurance. Eighteen percent have grief-recovery programs, up from 12% in 2002.

General Motors' program provides U.S. employees with unlimited access to telephone counseling with a trained mental health professional and up to three face-to-face counseling sessions at no charge. GM also helps managers with what to do if an employee has personal issues.

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Last updated: 08/06

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Workplaces Quit Quietly Ignoring Mental Illness