Screening for Depression at the Workplace Boosts Productivity

Experts at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, in Canada, say that employees who have the luck to receive treatment for their depression while still at the workplace tend to become more positive, healthy and productive than their peers whose condition goes unnoticed.

However, ensuring that depression is found is a tricky task, since symptoms often don't show in public, and those suffering from it tend to shy away from the psychologist's office. There is a sort of social stigma associated with being mentally ill, and is preventing many from seeking the help they need.

According to the team, this is one of the first investigations ever to be conducted on the possible correlation between treatment and productivity at the workplace, PsychCentral reports. The new study is extremely valid, since mental healthcare costs the Canadian government alone some $51 billion annually.

“It is crucial that employers offer mental health interventions to their employees and support them in engaging in treatment, as well as continuing to support them as they transition back into the workplace,” says study researcher Carolyn Dewa, PhD.