Both mental health distress and mental illness — including general symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance use, and stress, as well as diagnosable conditions — are common and affect individuals, their families, co-workers, and the broader community. Mental health distress is a common experience that can be brought on by short-term or long-term conditions impacting mental wellbeing. At some point, approximately 50% of people will meet criteria for some kind of mental health disorder during their lifetime, and most will experience mental health distress or challenges to their mental wellbeing. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 46 million Americans — nearly one in five — live with a mental illness, and over 11 million Americans have a serious mental illness, which, in some cases, can result in functional impairment and impact life activities. Mental illness is the Number 1 cause of disability in the United States.

World Mental Health Day is observed each year on October 10th to help raise awareness of mental health issues.

This year’s observance of World Mental Health Day fell during a time when our lives have changed dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Safety Council (NSC) has a webpage dedicated to addressing topics like mental health, stress reduction, substance misuse, and more. Employers and Employees can find mental health resources as well as documents meant to help address the growing concern of opioid use in correlation with the pandemic. Visit the NSC’s webpage: https://www.nsc.org/.../coron.../mental-health-and-wellbeing

Credit to: National Safety Council