Explain depression, anxiety; educate workers
Treatment requires proper approach
Depression and anxiety are the two mental health diagnoses seen most commonly in the workplace, says Deann Zens, MA, CEAP, ACADC, director of the employee assistance program and addiction services at Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, IA. Even if primary treatment is provided by an outside mental health professional, the occupational health provider may remain the frontline health provider who answers questions and provides reassurances.
Zens offers this advice for working with employees who are suffering emotional disorders:
· Ensure the worker of confidentiality.
Worries about confidentiality may not be as big a concern with this issue as you might expect, but workers, nevertheless, need to know that their records are private. There sometimes still is a stigma attached to mental health treatment, so some workers will be concerned by the idea that their co-workers and supervisors will find out.
· Provide education and let the workers know help is available.
Zens suggests using paycheck stuffers, bulletin board notices, and similar methods to let workers know depression is an illness, that it responds extremely well to treatment, and that help is available through the workplace.
· Reassure the patient that clinical depression is treatable.
Initially, employees may have some fear that they will be labeled crazy, or that their depression is a sign of failure. The occupational health professional can help reassure workers depression is a treatable disease, and in fact, the prognosis is excellent for most cases.
· Explain how antidepressants work.
Patients tend to be reluctant to take antidepressant medications. They should be told some key facts about the medications, such as antidepressants are not "happy pills." They don't make you happy, and they are not a cop-out used to avoid dealing with the real problem. Instead, they bring the person out of the deep depression enough so therapy can be effective.
Employees also tend to worry that antidepressant medications are habit-forming; most are not. And it is important to explain that most of the medications require a period of time to reach an effective level in the body. Do not expect a sudden turnaround in the patient's mood just because he or she is on antidepressant medication.
"In fact, if you see a complete turnaround from a period of depression, you need to take a look at that," she says. "Sometimes that means they have made a decision about suicide and are comfortable with that decision."
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