Mental health issues come with personal and economic costs 

Employers can support employee well-being, writes Sevaun Palvetzian.

toronto.com

Mental health issues come with personal and economic costs

In the News
October 10, 2019

Published by Toronto.com
By Sevaun Palvetzian

On the other side of the world, a short 22-hour plane ride away, it’s already tomorrow in Australia. But Australia is also miles ahead when it comes to talking about mental health.

I saw this firsthand last month when I brought the CivicAction story to a conference of philanthropists in the nation’s capital. On the way to the gate for my flight home, I spotted a poster offering “tips and tricks to raise resilient young people.” You can find checklists, stress tests and more at www.healthyfamilies.org.au.

My poster sighting was a good reminder that in Canada, mental health is top of mind this October with Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month, Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 6-12) and World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10).

Whether it’s Australia or our own backyard, mental health issues affect many of us and come at a big personal and economic cost. Did you know: 1 in 2 people in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area have experienced a mental health issue; 82 per cent of employees who report mental health issues say it impacts their work; and over the next 10 years, current mental health issues in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area labour force alone could result in almost $17 billion in lost productivity?

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