Managing Mental Illness

"Mental illness and stress can take a serious toll on employees. Managers and staff can be educated and trained to recognize and mitigate the harsh, long-term effects.

Craig and the other business leaders sitting at the round tables are already cognizant of these facts. They know that the brains of people with depression show changes in composition and size; the affected parts control eagerness, planning, mood regulation and verbal memory. They know that depression is a lack of joy that cannot be remedied by personal effort or will power. They know that most people don’t seek help and that many who do are misdiagnosed or mistreated. They also know that the combination of medicine and therapy can work, especially if the disease is caught early and treated properly. Having cleared the miasma of misinformation surrounding depression and mental illnesses these business leaders are now taking steps to change their own workplaces to reduce the stresses that can trigger depression, as well as educate their employees about an ailment that, statistically, affects 10 percent of the population."

by Laureen Griffin

< Previous . Next >