No one is immune to mental health conditions.  People from all walks of life can experience a mental health condition at any point in their lives.  Mental illness does not have boundaries.  Almost every family in the United States is impacted by mental health conditions as is every workplace.  The fact is that in an average office of 20 people at least four will experience a mental health condition in any year. As we have discussed in previous newsletters, untreated mental health conditions affect all levels of an organization reducing productivity and increasing absenteeism along with increased health care costs.  The impact to the organization’s bottom line is significant and continues to increase.

But, what happens when mental illness visits the executive suite?  Many believe that leadership is the most important competitive advantage of a company, above technology, finance, operations or anything else.  Leadership formulates the company’s business strategy and builds its resources, including its people, finances, and operations.  Leadership is the most important asset of the company, and can be its worst liability.  A failed business is the result of poor performance.  Poor performance is the result of incompetent or dysfunctional leadership. When there is dysfunctional leadership, the financial health of the entire organization may be at stake. Dysfunctional leadership comes from many different directions, one of which is an untreated mental health condition. The power of an untreated mental health condition has a huge impact on the quality of leadership. www.ceoqmagazine.com/ceo/dysfunctionalorganizations. When the leader struggles with mental illness, the symptoms such as lack of sleep, irritability, poor concentration, physical ailments, fatigue, depressed mood, extreme anxiety, or the inability to control emotions will impact his/her daily performance.  In most cases, the leader is unaware that the symptoms he/she is experiencing are the result of a real and treatable illness.

Only about 30% of the general population seek treatment for mental health conditions.  CEO’s are even less likely to seek help when they need it. Modern CEOs are generally an outstanding breed. They're smart. They're charming. They have extraordinary coping skills. That's how they got where they are. But the orientation to action that so distinguishes them can work spectacularly against them when problems arise, preventing them from getting help or even recognizing they need it, ultimately pulling them into a depression so subterranean it resists treatment. Adding to their personality traits is the environment in which they work in.  The CEO's position is very isolating and very focused on performance.(Psychology Today, March, 2003) Executive are less likely to get feedback from those around them.  They are cut off from a social support network and it is highly unlikely that the executive’s board of directors is aware that the executive is struggling with a mental illness. It is very sad that instead of seeking treatment executives may self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, or even take their own lives. Although we don’t have good data on the number of executives who struggle with mental illness, we have seen a marked increase in the number of executives who have taken their life as a result of excessive stress from media exposure such as the Chief Financial Officer of Freddie Mac, who took his life in 2009 during the mortgage lending crisis.

The cost of silence about mental illness in the workplace is staggering.  When mental illness visits the executive suite, the cost goes beyond a measure of lost productivity, as the leader struggling with mental illness can affect the stability of the entire company.  In order to promote healthy people and healthy organizations, US businesses must view mental health as integral to operations as physical wellness.  When our businesses create mental health receptive workplaces, they are creating an environment where any employee, even the executive, can seek early treatment at the first signs of illness without the fear of stigma, reprisal, or loss of reputation.  Mental illness is a neurobiological disease and not a weakness in character. Treatment for mental health conditions does work and is more effective than treatment for many physical conditions such as heart disease or cancer.  When companies understand that the cost of silence about mental health conditions in the workplace is real, there can be a positive shift in organizational culture through a thoughtful and cost-effective approach that includes integration of physical and behavioral health, mental health literacy training, and the creation of a mental health receptive workplace.

Monthly Tip

Making confidential mental health assessments a regular part of you wellness program can encourage those struggling with a mental health condition to seek early treatment and reduce the unwanted costs associated with untreated mental illness in the workplace.  Visit http://tinyurl.com/5casel to take a self-assessment.

For additional information, contact Deborah or Daina at Encompass Program