Executive SearchManaging the most common mental illness in the workplace
August 9, 2006
Peter Kronborg recently had the pleasure in emceeing an interesting AICD event at the Hilton Hotel in Melbourne.
The guest speaker was Dr Nicole Highet CEO of Beyondblue. Nicole has a Doctorate in clinical psychology, specialising in treatments for depression.
More than one million people in Australia experience depression, anxiety or related substance use disorders each year. With depression affecting one in five people at some time in their adult lifetime, these figures also translate to workplace settings. Depression is second only to heart related illness in terms of disability in Australia - resulting in a profound impact on all aspects of life, including work.
The impact of these disorders is considerable. Depression accounts for three to four days off work per month for each person experiencing depression - that's over six million working days lost each year in Australia. Untreated depression can result in a significant reduction in work performance. Depression accounts for more than 12 million days of reduced productivity each year with serious implications for work safety.
Nicole's presentation covered:
- Understanding depression
- Prevalence
- Ongoing cost of untreated depression in the Australian workplace
- Effective treatments
- Why have a workplace program
For further information on the Beyondblue organisation, please visit www.beyondblue.org.au
