Employers cannot escape this fact. Both executives and blue collar workers experience family and personal problems that affect their health, satisfaction and productivity. Absenteeism, turnover and lost productivity are just some of the economic costs that mental health problems produce for American businesses. Mental illnesses cost the economy billions of dollars every year. Mental health also matters to healthcare.
Mental health is key to maintaining physical health and vice versa.
Up to half of all visits to primary care doctors for physical ailments are related to stress and other psychological problems. But frequently, physical symptoms get treated while the underlying mental health need goes unaddressed. In addition, research has shown noticeable and casual links between mental disorders and other illnesses. A recent study found that depression in men is a likely contributor to heart disease. In turn, stroke and heart disease may also lead to depression and other mental illnesses.