Workplace Mental Health Statistics

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Global Mental Health Statistics

82% of workers with a diagnosed mental illness do not inform their workplace managers about their condition. The common reasons are fearing the negative impact on their career, being embarrassed, and even losing their job. (Sangar, 2019).

Mental disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion. (Mental health in…, n.d.) This is due to increased absenteeism and cost, and reduced productivity. (Mental health policies…, 2005)

Every dollar invested in treating common mental disorders gives a return that is four times due to improved productivity and overall health. (Mental health…, n.d.)

When depression is properly identified and address, businesses will be able to improve employee productivity and the number of hours worked and reduce sick days, employee turnovers, and job-related accidents. (Mental health problems… 2010)

Mental Health America published a study that found that workplace issues negatively affect the sleep of two-thirds of workers. Half of the respondents would also engage in different unhealthy behaviors like smoking and drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism. (Mind the workplace report, 2019)

10.7% of the world’s population (792 million) have at least one type of mental health disorder (Ritchie and Roser, 2018) That number rises to 22.1% in countries that are affected by conflict, fragility, and violence. (Mental health, n.d.)

The most common mental illnesses are anxiety disorder and depression. The two disorders make up more than half of all cases. Anxiety disorder affects 3.8% or 284 million of the world’s population and depression affects 3.4% or 264 million. (Ritchie and Roser, 2018)

Mental illness is more prevalent among women (11.9%) than men (9.3%). This is true for most types of mental illness except for schizophrenia where most countries show a higher prevalence in men. (Ritchie, n.d., Ritchie and Roser, 2018)

Mental disorders also affect one’s life span. Those with a mental disorder have an average life expectancy loss of 10.1 years. (JAMA Psychiatry, 2015)

Globally, 14.3% of deaths are connected to mental disorders. (JAMA Psychiartry, 2015)

The service for mental health diagnosis, treatment, and referral for low and medium-income countries and some low-income areas of high-income countries are limited to hospitals or clinics. Services that should be delivered in primary care and also in community health centers are severely lacking. (Wainberg, et. al., 2017)

Lancet Psychiatry published a study claiming that by 2030, the overall cost of treating anxiety and depression disorders in 36 countries will be $147 billion. The study further states that the cost for treatment pales in comparison to the 5% work productivity improvement and $399 billion economic gain.

Based on the US Express Scripts data, there has been a 41 percent increase in antidepressant use for the 13 to 19-year-old age bracket since 2017. This same age bracket experienced a 17.3 percent change in anxiety medications during 2020 and 2021, the first two years of the pandemic.

The American Psychological Association reports 4 times higher rates of anxiety and depression in adults between April 2020 and August 2021.

Psychiatric medication withdrawal studies show many patients have difficulties stopping their medication once they start due to severe withdrawal symptoms.
In fact, we now know that job stress and other work related psychosocial hazards are emerging as the leading contributors to the burden of occupational disease and injury.
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Works Cited:

  1. Mental health. (n.d.). Retrieved from from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/mental-health
  2. Mental health in the workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/mental-health-in-the-workplace
  3. Sangar, Reena. (2019) Mental Health in the workplace: Global Impact Study. Retrieved from https://www.ipsos.com/en/mental-health-workplace-global-impact-study
  4. Mental health policies and programmes in the workplace. (2005). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/services/13_policies%20programs%20in%20workplace_WEB_07.pdf
  5. Mental health problems in the workplace (2010). Harvard Mental Health Letter. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/mental-health-problems-in-the-workplace
  6. Mind The Workplace Report. (2019). Mental Health America. https://www.mhanational.org/research-reports/2019-mind-workplace-report
  7. Ritchie, H. (n.d.). Global mental health: Five key insights which emerge from the data. Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://ourworldindata.org/global-mental-health
  8. Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2018, January 20). Mental Health. Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://ourworldindata.org/mental-health
  9. Wainberg, M. L., Scorza, P., Shultz, J. M., Helpman, L., Mootz, J. J., Johnson, K. A., Neria, Y., Bradford, J. E., Oquendo, M. A., & Arbuckle, M. R. (2017). Challenges and Opportunities in Global Mental Health: a Research-to-Practice Perspective. Current psychiatry reports, 19(5), 28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0780-z
  10. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/mental-health-care.htm
  11. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/09/style/medication-depression-anxiety-adhd.html
  12. https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(98)00126-7/fulltext
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