Mental illness is a leading cause of disability yet doesn`t get treated as such. 

Particularly at this time of year – summer is over; school and work are picking up – we need to be conscious of our mental state.

Mental health issues are plaguing businesses globally, causing huge losses in productivity and money.

In the U.K., one in four employees at any particular workplace are looking to leave their job – around 26 per cent of workers are unhappy and dread Monday. Stress such as target goals, unreasonable expectations, a negative work environment, and unaccommodating bosses are major factors here.

About 65 per cent of British employees would rather have a new boss than a pay raise. When workplace issues start affecting your mental well-being, it can be difficult to come out of – a majority of the millennials feel that they didn’t choose the right path.

Mental Illness in Canada

Things don’t look much better in Canada. Here, mental illness is the leading cause of disability, disproportionately affecting those in the lowest income group.

Shockingly, half of all Canadians will have or have had a mental illness by age 40.

Yet, we spend much less on mental health than most other developed countries. In Ontario, the disease burden of mental illness – including addiction – is 1.5 times greater than all cancers combined and more than 7 times greater than all infectious diseases.

Still, only 7.2 per cent of the health budget goes to mental health.

In all, mental illness costs the Canadian economy a staggering $51bn per year.

This infographic from MaxiMillion provides comprehensive statistics on the impact of mental health issues at U.K. workplaces and also gives some great tips on how proactive team building can help better the situation.

There’s no reason for something we can all address to be costing us so much.

EWI Works offers many services that can improve your quality of life and health at work. Find out more about our Online Training, Services, and Resources.

Follow us on Twitter for more updates and offers, or sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our homepage.