Partnership for Workplace mental Health

Partnership for Workplace Mental Health
E-Update, April 2008




SAVE THE DATE

  • DMEC 2008 Annual International Conference, "Scaling New Heights: Reviewing the Past, Discussing the Present, Defining the Future

    • August 10 - 13, 2008

    Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center
    650 15th Street
    Denver, CO 80202

    The Disability Management Employer Coalition's (DMEC) Annual Conference is the ONE place where human resource professionals from across the country come together to share thoughts, strategies and ideas on best practices, emerging technologies, and practical applications within the broad, evolving field of employee productivity, disability, and absence management. For more details and to register, visit www.dmec.org

    PARTNERSHIP NEWS

    • Partnership's Database of Employers Innovations now online! More and more businesses now understand why they should address mental health at the workplace. In response, the Partnership has developed an online, searchable database that profiles employer's innovative programs and practices that show how to take action.

      This easily navigated, user-friendly tool describes the actual practices of leading companies in key areas, such as screening and education, Employee Assistance Programs, disability management, and wellness programs. Each entry, or case study, in the database describes the practice(s) of one employer, such as American Airlines, DuPont, JPMorgan Chase, Pitney Bowes, and Sprint. Users have the option of searching by employer name, type of program, number of employees, type of industry, or geographical region.

      Click here to access the database!

      Are you doing something at your workplace to address mental health? We invite you to participate in this exciting new initiative! Have you found success with a specific approach from which others can learn? Interested companies and organizations can submit their innovative approaches to workplace mental health online at www.workplacementalhealth.org/search.aspx, or contact Mary Claire Leftwich at (703) 907- 8561 or mleftwich@psych.org.

      Share Mental HealthWorks with your colleagues! Through your affiliation with the Partnership, we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to share our free quarterly newsletter with your colleagues. Visit www.workplacementalhealth.org to download a PDF of the newsletter, or email mhw@psych.org to be placed on the email or print subscription list. Our latest issue includes the following stories:

    • Urschel Laboratories Successfully Leads Employees Through Transition to a Tobacco-Free Campus
    • Psychotherapy - Defined, Described, Discussed
    • U.S. and Canadian Leaders Talk Mental Health and Productivity
    • Dealing with Marijuana In the Workplace


      • WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH NEWS

    • Alcohol Cost Calculator Updated. The Ensuring Solutions Alcohol Cost Calculator for Business, originally developed in 2003, has been updated with data from the 2004 and 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The calculator estimates the cost of alcohol problems to individual businesses based on characteristics specified by calculator users. The new calculator is available at www.alcoholcostcalculator.org

    • Working" with AD/HD. While some still believe the old myth that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is "only a children's" disorder, research confirms that up to 60 percent of children with AD/HD continue to exhibit symptoms into adulthood. "Working" with AD/HD, from the National Resource Center on AD/HD, explores the impact of AD/HD on adults in the workforce. In addition to illustrating the challenges AD/HD can cause, strategies are provided to help minimize the impact AD/HD symptoms may have.

      For more information, visit the National Resource Center on AD/HD website.
    • The Economic Burden of Depression in the U.S.: New Podcast Available. Dr. Reef Karim speaks with Dr. Ronald Kessler, a professor of healthcare policy at Harvard, who discusses the effect that depression has on the economy, including how people with depression are more likely to experience unemployment, absences from work, and inefficiency. He also talks about the financial benefits to employers for providing healthcare programs that cover depression treatment.

      This podcast is part of "The Down and Up Show," made possible by the Depression is Real Coalition. For more information, and to download at the podcast for free, www.depressionisreal.org/podcast/show46.php

    • JOEM publishes special issue on Depression in the Workplace. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM), the official journal of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, has devoted its April issue entirely to the topic of Depression in the Workplace, highlighting the need for an integrated, evidence-based approach to managing this common, chronic, and often recurrent disorder.

      JOEM is available to subscribers only, however a table of contents for this special issue can be found here.
      Individual articles are also available for purchase.

    • Guide Available for Employees: Antidepressant Skills @ Work. A new guide called Antidepressant Skills at Work: Dealing with Mood Problems in the Workplace is now available to your employees. Based on the most current research available, AS@W is an effective tool designed to help people who may be experiencing low mood or depression to apply practical strategies to improve functioning, performance and satisfaction. The guide is available free on-line at http://www.carmha.ca/antidepressant-skills/work/.

    • Workplace Warriors: Corporate Response to Deployment and Reintegration The largest deployment of civilian soldiers since World War II has created a new type of employee: the "workplace warrior." These employees need the understanding and support of their employers, from military deployment with the Reserves or National Guard to their eventual reintegration into the workplace. The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) convened a Workplace Warrior Think Tank in 2007 to discuss the scope of challenges and opportunities around returning employees and to identify employer-based resources and strategies.

      To hear more about the Think Tank, and to read the resulting white paper, visit www.dmec.org or click here.
    • Five lies we all tell at work. Whether you realize it or not, a completely lie-free day at work is hard to come by. Dr. Gabriela Cora, corporate consultant, author of "Leading under Pressure: Strategies to Maximize Peak Performance and Productivity while Maximizing Health and Well-being," and APA member says that, "In the long run, consistently stating the truth will work in your - and everybody else's - best interest."

      Visit CNN.com for the full story.

      Thank you for your continued interest in the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health. If you have any questions, or you wish not to receive these updates, please e-mail Mary Claire Leftwich at mleftwich@psych.org. Visit www.workplacementalhealth.org or call 703-907-8561 for more information.


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