Proactively supporting workers’ mental health benefits everyone

As the social stigma associated with mental health lessens each year, the rates of formal mental health diagnoses continue to rise. With a formal diagnosis, it becomes easier for a person to navigate a treatment plan and determine appropriate mental health services. The current cultural landscape shows that public awareness and advocacy for mental health will only continue to grow. Employers should consider taking a proactive approach to update their policies, practices, and accommodations to support employees’ mental health conditions before running into discrimination issues.

Mental health trends reach the workplace

Mental health challenges remain widespread in the United States, with about 23% of adults (nearly 59 million people) experiencing a mental illness each year. Of that number, it’s estimated that 15.4 million adults experience serious mental illness, which causes functional impairment and interferes with life activities like employment. Notably, depression has risen steeply, and there are about 22.5 million adults diagnosed with major depression.