Mental Health Matters to the Workplace n Seventy percent of people who use illicit substance are employed. Depression ranks among the top three workplace problems following only family crisis and stress. Major depression is the second leading cause of disability in the US and worldwide. Mental Health Matters to Healthcare n Up to half of all visits to primary care physicians are due to conditions caused or exacerbated by mental or emotional problems. Nearly two thirds of all people with diagnosable mental disorders do not seek treatment.
Depression greatly increases the risk of developing heart disease.
People with depression are more than four times as likely to have a heart attack than those without a history of the illness. At least two-thirds of elderly nursing home residents have been diagnosed with a mental disorder such as major depression. As these statistics suggest, mental health is indeed everybody s business. And the news is encouraging. There are many things we can do to maintain and enhance our own mental and emotional well-being and that of our families, friends and communities.