Depression Management by Phone at workplace is a Win-Win Situation

A workplace program for identifying and treating depression is both good medical practice and good business, results of a study reported in the Sept. 26 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association. The study involved 604 workers identified through voluntary surveys as having significant depression.
Many employers view mental health coverage as a financial black hole, but the study shows that spending money on depression is a smart business move, said researcher Dr. Philip Wang. Wang works for the National Institute of Mental Health, which funded the study.
Employees who got the aggressive intervention worked on average about two weeks more during the yearlong study than those who got the usual care — advice to see their doctor or seek a mental health specialist.
The entire publication;
"Telephone Screening, Outreach, and Care Management for Depressed Workers and Impact on Clinical and Work Productivity Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial." is available at JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) for free.

Tags: JAMA, depression, Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health