2 Out of 3 People See Depression at Work. Here's How to Keep Your Team Well

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that about 18 percent of adults in the United States have some form of mental illness, while the Analysis Group says the economic burden of major depression in the United States amounts to about $210.5 billion annually, reports Inc.com . One way to combat depression at work is to build employee well-being into company culture, and counter its stigma. Offering unpaid leave for mental health crises also can be helpful, says Grants Plus President Lauren Steiner. Another strategy is to implement comprehensive mental health coverage. Horizon Benefit Services' Carrie Espinosa encourages employers to offer a number of such plans and have their employees contact her directly for advice on benefits packages. Supplementing standard mental health coverage with employee-assistance programs (EAPs) also is suggested, and they can be added to insurance policies or purchased singly. If an EAP is unaffordable, employers can get together with other businesses to purchase one as a group and then make employees aware of it, notes University of Maryland Professor Jodi Jacobson Frey. "Employees need to see the leaders of the company acknowledge the importance of engaging with mental health professionals when it's needed," says Avalere Health's Dan Mendelson.