Partnership for Workplace Mental Health
E-Update, December 2006
PARTNERSHIP NEWS
- A Mentally Healthy Workforce-It's Good for Business. Most employers know that a mentally healthy workforce is linked to lower medical costs,
as well as less absenteeism and presenteeism. What employers may not know, however, is how to get from A to B: How does a company
change a mentally unhealthy workplace - or a marginally healthy one - to a healthy workplace? Where does it start? The Partnership provides
insight into that question with its just-released publication, A Mentally Healthy Workforce-It's Good for Business. Visit the Partnership's
homepage at www.workplacementalhealth.org to download your copy.
- New Partnership Website. The Partnership is pleased to announce that our website has been completely re-designed, allowing you to access
a wider spectrum of materials and resources. The new site houses everything you were familiar with on the old site (Mental HealthWorks, Depression & Alcohol
Cost Calculators), plus much more. We invite you to take a look and tell us what you think. A special thanks to all the organizations that provided content
for the site. If you have ideas or resources you think would be useful to employers, please let us know! The new site can be found at
www.workplacementalhealth.org.
- Latest Issue of Mental HealthWorks Now Available! 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 Mental HealthWorks newsletter, or email mhw@psych.org to be placed on the email or print
subscription list. Our latest issue includes stories on:
- How to Build a Mentally Healthy Workforce
- Quad/Graphics Noted for Its Mental Health-Friendly Workplace
- It Pays to Pay Attention to Adult ADHD
Mental HealthWorks is a free quarterly publication of the Partnership and the APA.
- American Psychiatric Foundation Joins Organizations in Sponsoring
Depression is Real Public Education Campaign. The American Psychiatric Foundation and six prominent physician, patient and civic organizations
launched a new public education campaign about depression. The campaign reinforces the reality that depression is a serious, debilitating disease that can be
fatal if left untreated and imparts a message of hope for recovery to the 19 million American adults who suffer from depression each year. For more on the
campaign visit http://www.depressionisreal.com/depression-ad-campaign.html
- Coping with Holiday Stress. For most people, the holiday season is a rewarding and cherished time of year. However, for some people, the
holidays can bring stress, anxiety and feelings of depression. Mood disorders, such as major depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can be especially
difficult to cope with during the holidays. Visit the www.healthyminds.org for resources from the
American Psychiatric Association that you can share with your employees this holiday season.
- New Let's Talk Facts brochures available from the American Psychiatric Association. Let's Talk Facts brochures are designed to improve mental
health by promoting informed factual discussion of psychiatric disorders and their treatments. New material is available to share with your employees on the
following topics of:
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- College Students and Alcohol Abuse
- Psychiatric Dimensions of HIV and AIDS
- Panic Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
For more information on how to download or order print copies of these brochures please visit http://www.healthyminds.org/letstalkfacts.cfm#alc
WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH NEWS - Bipolar Disorder Impacts Productivity. Bipolar disorders cause twice as much lost time in the workplace as does major depression, according
to a national mental health survey. Workers with bipolar disorders who were surveyed reported losing an average of 65.5 lost work days a year. For more on
this story, visit the Forbes website.
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/09/
01/hscout534661.html - Mastering Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on the Job. From the Philadelphia Inquirer, see how with the right amount of strategy, and the right
workplace, people with ADHD can thrive on the job. Read more by visiting
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/business/15989097.htm
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.