Mental health is everyone's business

The stigma and prejudice that sends people experiencing mental ill-health to the back of the queue in the health system and isolates them in the workplace is being dispersed.

It isn’t just the “fair go” at work. It’s a matter of tapping the talent of people who experience mental ill health. Australian businesses would benefit more strongly from the national awakening on mental health, in terms of morale and the bottom line, if they embraced a rational and inclusive approach.

Non-communicable diseases have been established as a threat not only to human health, but also to development and economic growth. The World Economic Forum now estimates that the global direct and indirect cost of mental ill health could reach US$16 trillion over the next 20 years. The WEF challenges not only governments, but also civil society and the private sector to commit to the highest level of engagement in combatting these diseases and their rising economic burden.

These figures emphasize the pervasive impact of mental ill-health on Australian workplaces and the need for more effective responses. Australian business leaders need to actively support the reform of Australia’s poorly designed and resourced system of mental health care, and Australian policy makers must more explicitly link new investment in mental health care with employment and productivity outcomes. This effort should be complemented by actions at the individual workplace level to provide employers with the best insulation against needless loss of talent and productivity from mental ill-health.

The WEF emphasizes something that Australian mental health policy has come to recognize, namely that mental ill-health disproportionately affects young people in the prime productive years of life and seriously weakens their economic and social participation. Hence the need for strong and effective mental health care for young people and emerging adults.

Stigma creates unfair character judgements about people with mental ill-health. The glass is viewed as half empty. One myth about mental illness and the workplace that needs to be exploded is that people with mental ill-health are unreliable and unable to withstand pressure. Employment is typically a major positive in the recovery of people from periods of mental ill-health. Returning to work is the number one priority for many with mental ill-health and it has clear therapeutic and financial benefits.

In the physical health domain we crossed this Rubicon many years ago. Thousands of workplaces have been modified to allow people with often severe physical impairment to continue to work. A most graphic example is that of Dr Paul Brock, a senior policy maker with the NSW Education Department who has worked full time for years while requiring 24 hour home care for motor neurone disease. He cannot move a muscle but is able to contribute his wisdom and expertise to his employer and society.

The benefits of applying the same standards to dealing with mental and physical health in the workplace are most obvious with high flyers. People with exceptional talent and creativity are just as vulnerable to mental ill health as the rest of us, if not more so. Andrew Robb and Geoff Gallop are recent political examples, and while not many business and professional leaders have shared their stories publicly so far, there are many examples.

High pressure work cultures, place unique stress on employees. Pretending that mental ill-health is not already a major issue does not make the issue go away. Clearly making adjustments to adapt to the health needs of high flyers, whether mental or physical, reflects not only a duty of care but also a sensible strategy to retain talent. Exactly the same principle holds true at every level of an organization.

Australian policy makers, those who experience mental ill-health and early adopters in the business world increasingly agree that to end discrimination based on outmoded attitudes to mental ill health is not only an enlightened approach, but it makes economic sense in an era of labor, talent and skill shortages.

This article originally appeared in the Australian Financial Review on October 10th 2011.