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Mental health

An American Psychological Association survey in 2008 found that eight out of 10 people have "major stress" due to the current economic situation. Mental-health claims are the fastest-growing category of Canadian disability costs, according to the Canada Safety Council. And with all this, many places of employment continue to treat workplace mental illness and as a taboo subject.

Mental health is more than just a personal issue- it's a social issue and a workplace issue. Ignoring mental health in the workplace costs industry billions each year. But mental-health advocates are working to turn that around.

"We have to be good employers," says Lloyd Craig, president and CEO of Coast Capital Savings, "no matter if the economy is good or bad." He adds that treatment of mental illness is still under-resourced, and too few people are being diagnosed.

Since his teenage son's depression-related suicide in 2001, Craig has become a champion of shining a light on mental health issues in the workplace. "In the developed world, for people between the ages of 15 and 44, depression is the number-one burden of disease," Craig says. "At Coast Capital Savings, our number-one drug cost is anti-depressants."

Craig counts the introduction of a mental-health survey among employees in 2006 as one of his company's greatest accomplishments. Staff members shared survey results and discussed them at company workshops. Many were shocked at the number of people feeling depressed and even suicidal at workplace. Bringing people together to talk about how they feel laid the groundwork for being open about it, which eliminates the stigma.

Craig believes that we need to understand that the whole person comes to work every day. Someone with a kidney problem can talk about it over coffee. But can someone with depression talk about that over coffee? In tough economic times, companies cut wherever they can. If companies are looking for places to cut, mental health should be the last place they look.

Mental health is the ability to meet our obligations and challenges; adapt to change and adversity; share, not hoard; give credit, not blame; relate well to others; and lead by example.

Ten Tips For Mental Health:

1. Build a healthy self-esteem
2. Receive as well as give
3. Create positive parenting and family relationships
4. Make friends who count
5. Figure out your priorities
6. Get involved; stay active
7. Learn to manage stress effectively
8. Cope with changes that affect you
9. Deal with your emotions
10. Keep the Faith; have a spirituality to call your own

Spacelocker: The Happiest Space on Earth