Organizational Aspects of Work Accommodation and Retention in Mental Health
Mental health problems and disorders constitute an escalating challenge in the workplace. Another chapter in this handbook by Dewa and colleagues has also addressed this important topic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2001a), mental heal
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Izabela Z. Schultz, Terry Krupa, E. Sally Rogers, and Alanna Winter
Introduction Mental health problems and disorders constitute an escalating challenge in the workplace. Another chapter in this handbook by Dewa and colleagues has also addressed this important topic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2001a), mental health disorders comprise 40% of the leading causes of disability worldwide, and they account for 10.5% of the total global burden of disease. About 450 million people, most of them of working age, are affected by at least one mental health disorder. Importantly, mental health disorders are projected to account for 15% of the disability burden internationally by the year 2020. Depression alone is projected to account for the second highest burden of disease, following only cardiovascular disease (Scott & Dickey, 2003; WHO, 2001b). Furthermore, mental health disabilities are becoming increasingly common in the workplace. According to the Canadian Community Health Survey, in 2002, approximately one in every five individuals over the age of 15 experienced psychological symptoms over the course of the year, including
I.Z. Schultz, Ph.D. (*) Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada e-mail: [email protected] T. Krupa, Ph.D. Department School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University, 31 George Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada e-mail: [email protected] E.S. Rogers, Sc.D. Department—Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, 940 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA e-mail: [email protected] A. Winter BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre, Vancouver, BC Canada R.J. Gatchel and I.Z. Schultz (eds.), Handbook of Occupational Health and Wellness, Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-4839-6_20, © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012
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depression, anxiety disorders, and alcohol or drug dependence (CCHS; Statistics Canada, 2003). Estimates exist that approximately 10% of the working population has at least one mental health disorder (Dewa, Lin, Kooehoorn, & Goldner, 2007). Given these numbers, it is not surprising that the societal costs of mental health disorders are so high. In North America, the annual societal costs are estimated at $83.1 billion (Greenberg et al., 2003) and, in the European Union, at EU$320 billion (Andlin-Sobocki, Jonsson, Wittchen, & Olesen 2005). Between 30 and 60% of the costs are losses associated with reduced productivity. In Canada, this cost has been estimated to be C$17.7 billion annually (Lim, Jacobs, Ohinmaa, Schopflocher, & Dewa, 2008). Absenteeism (to be discussed later in this chapter) related to mental health problems accounts for about 7% of the total payroll (Watson Wyatt Worldwide, 2000). Stephens and Joubert (2001) suggested that the costs to Canadian employers in lost productivity arising from presenteeism (i.e., less than optimal job performance) and absenteeism due to mental
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