Common Mental Health Issues

Mental health is essential to overall health as well as efficiency. It is the foundation for thriving contributions to family, district, and culture. All through the lifespan, mental health is the source of thoughts and communication skills, knowledge, pliability, and self-esteem. It is all too easy to dismiss the worth of mental health until troubles emerges (Brager, G. & Holloway, S., 1978). Mental health troubles and illnesses are factual and disabling conditions that are experienced by one in five Americans. Those who do not get treatment, mental illnesses can consequence in disability and desolation for families, schools, societies, and the workplace.

Today, protecting and strengthening our ‘mental health’ could not be more important. With our quick pace, 24/7 culture, we face more stress from our daily lives than before. Many of us work extended hours or multiple jobs, and take fewer vacations. In fact, one in three American employees is chronically overworked. The line between work and home life is often blurred so home is no longer a place of rest. Sleep and exercise feel like luxuries. We are eating poorly more often. We are constantly bombarded with information. We are also more disconnected from family, friends, and neighbors, and less engaged in our communities than we use to be. Trusting in one another has steadily declined over the last 30 years. Children aren’t immune either; many are racing from on activity to another without any downtime.(2007 Mental Health America.)

Integrating new policies that require employers to treat someone suffering from mental illness the same way they treat someone suffering with physical illness has not come easily. A history of overlooking mental illness, or mistaking it for what has often been called “stress” in the workplace makes the process of helping to change the past negative thoughts often associated with mental illness a slow process. In essence, these new policies are requiring organizations to change the way think, which is not always easy given decades of false and misleading information about mental illness.

According to the 2012 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports, Blacks suffered 55.7% to 70.8% for whites. This was adults with major episode and received treatment.

Evidences of current element of mental health stigmatization can be seen in many area within the society. First of all, people with mental disorder claimed “employment discrimination as one of their most frequent stigma experience”(5). Stigmatizing views held by employers limited the employment opportunity for the affected individuals. A survey of US employer show that 50% of them reluctant to hire someone with past psychiatric history or currently undergoing treatment for depression. Moreover, “approximately 70% are reluctant to hire someone currently taking antipsychotic medication” (5). Yet, “one in three mental health consumers in the United States report being turned down for a job once their psychiatric status [uncovers]” (5).

The employee assistance program (EAP) assists workers with various issues that they might be experiences, ranging from problems on the job to problems at home. This program does cost the organization money but is free to employees. The reason why this program exist is to help people fix their issues so that they can come to work and focus on their task instead of any problems that they might be

I read that there is a problem with mental health, and it is causing people to call into work sick for reasons other than actually being sick. I believe that there is a way to fix the problem with awareness to people that does not know there is help out there for them.

Lack of access to mental health care and treatment is one of the top ten reasons that many mental health conditions go untreated. Many private and group health insurance plans only include minimal mental health care coverage or do not incorporate mental health care coverage at all. Over half of adult citizens of the United States of America, who possess a mental illness, do not obtain mental health care treatment. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one out of every five adults in America have endured their own mental health difficulty, and one out of every twenty-five American adults suffer from a severe mental illness, such as major depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. (Top 5 Barriers to Mental Healthcare Access, Social Solutions.com, 2017)

For the last presentation of the semester students were asked to review the Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) form their organizations. This resulted in numerous presentations on different organization types. The organizations I focused on were the University Fire Department (UFD) and the U.S. Navy. This was accomplished after viewing Dalton Gregg, Adam Biernat, and Ron Hoogestraat’s presentations. Each had their own unique components and covered the program benefits for the organization’s employees.

Policy makers and researchers have paid attention to behavioral health problems due to significant burden of morbidity and disability, as well as health care cost. The term behavioral health refers to a state of mental or emotional being and choices and actions that affect wellness. It encompasses both mental health and substance use, including such as depression, substance abuse or misuse, serious psychological distress, and suicide (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2011). In 2012, an estimated 16 million adults aged 18 or older in the U.S. had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. This represented 6.9 percent of all U.S. adults (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013). People with mental and substance abuse disorders may find difficulties to maintain interpersonal relations, find and sustain employment, and care for themselves and family members because behavioral health problem may affect individual’s ability to function in daily life. Although mental health problems are both common and important in general population, they are especially common in women than men (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013), and in particular in individuals who are socially disadvantaged (Heflin & Iceland, 2009).

effects families, children and widercommunity. Moreover behavioral disorders can cause inability to work or reduced work performance . Studies about behavioral health states that social forces, ideologies, finances and more recent pharmaceutical marketing have shaped this system of more than treatment advances or improved care . Inconsistent performance measurement prevent attempts to make international comparisons about mental health care quality. Perry et al. (2015) holds the view that there is a need to develop community based interventions

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) provide resources to employees for a variety of issues that may impact an individual's work performance. They are designed to help employees cope with personal or family problems, including mental health, substance abuse, and marital or parenting

Employee counseling in the workplace has gained distinction over the years and has become increasingly important with the number of incidents related to stress-related health issues ( ). Furthermore, employee assistance programs (EAP) have become so popular that more than 60% of large firms offer EAP services (Dessler, 2013). With corporations competing for success, excellence, and the increasing intricacies of work, employees now experience enormous work-life stress leading to anxiety and depression. EAPs are programs intended to facilitate employee well-being (Dessler, 2013). EAPs offer assistance and counseling, such as personal, legal, and financial services, child and elder care referrals, adoption assistance, mental health counseling,

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a program that helps employees, and their family out in their time of need. This program is free and confidential to its clients. They are there for support, and any problem that may come for an employee at anytime of being hired with the company. In addition, maybe recommendation could come from a supervisor that may see a need to send their employees. EAP may also help supervisors with troubling conflict that arise in the workplace. According to Mosley, Mosley, & Pietri, EAP is a program that provide counseling to its employees that is struggling with work or home life. (Mosley, Mosley, & Pietri., 2008, pgs. 346-347)

The employee assistance programs commonly known as EAP’S are the services and employee benefits programs that a provided by the company to its employee to develop trust with the employee that the company is providing the best package in accordance to the employee services so that he or she can work in a stress free environment and give a batter performance.