Mental Illness Is Costing Corporations

$80 Billion Annually^[1]

Direct costs:

Healthcare Premiums, Medications, Short & Long-Term Disability

Each year, 217 million workdays are partially or completely lost due to mental illness^[1]

Mental illness and substance disorders are the 3^rd leading cause of long-term disability and the 5^th leading cause of short-term disability^[2]

Indirect costs:

Absenteeism, Presenteeism, Slower Return to Work, Employee Turnover, Training Costs

Lost productivity “presenteeism” is responsible for most of this cost ($63 billion)^[3]

Mental illness causes more days of work loss than arthritis, back pain, diabetes, and heart disease^[4]

References:

[1] Finch, R. A. & Phillips, K. (2005). An employer’s guide to behavioral health services. Washington, DC: National Business Group on Health/Center for Prevention and Health Services.

[2] National Business Group on Health: An Employer’s Guide to Behavioral Health Services, 2010.

[3] National Alliance on Mental Illness, The High Costs of Cutting Mental Health, Jan. 2010.

[4] Kessler, R. C., Greenberg, P. E., Mickelson, K. D., Meneades, L. M., & Wang, P. S. (2001). The effects of chronic medical conditions on work loss and work cutback. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 43(3), 218-225.