Mental health issues in the workplace: Part 1

Part 1: common mental health disorders and workplace impact

Summary:

In the first of a series of articles on mental health at work, Dr Greg Couser describes the common mental health disorders likely to be encountered at work and explains why their early identification and management are essential to reduce their impact on  the employee and the workplace.

 

Mental health issues in the workplace are challenging for occupational health (OH) professionals. Worldwide, approximately one in five people have a mental health condition, and mental health conditions now cause one in five years lived with disability¹. In England, one adult in six has a common mental health disorder (about one in five women and one in eight men)². Nearly three in every10 employees will have a mental health problem in any year³. In short, OH professionals encounter mental health issues daily and need to be prepared to rise to this challenge…

 

Greg P Couser, MD, MPH, is a consultant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, US, where he is the medical director of the employee assistance programme. He has formal residency training and board certification both in psychiatry and in occupational medicine

Author: Couser G

Tags mental health

Occupational Health at Work June/July 2022 (vol. 19/1) pp19-24

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