Report shows that 21% of millennial workers believe they currently have a mental illness
Depression and mental illness is affecting a significant amount of Canadian workers, reveals a new survey from Ipsos. The study, commissioned by the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, shows that four out of every ten workers have suffered from depression. It’s a problem even more pronounced with younger people, with half of millennial workers reporting some experience of depression. This compares to 39% for gen-Xers and 29% of baby boomers. More pressing is the fact that 21% of millennial workers believe they currently have a mental illness, with the same amount saying they feel “nervous, anxious or on edge” most days.
It’s a major issue for individuals, employers and the county itself, with a 2016 report by the Conference Board of Canada estimating that depression costs the domestic economy $32.3 billion per year from lost productivity.
Progress is being made, however, according to Mary Ann Baynton, program director of the Centre for Mental Health. In her opinion, the fact that studies such as this are taking place shows that any stigma regarding mental illness is shifting. Baynton doesn’t see the 50% number for millennials as a real cause for alarm, either. Instead, she believes that younger workers are now addressing mental health issues much more transparently and earlier than before.
“Millennials see mental health as part of the human condition,” she says. “As opposed to looking at depressive or anxious symptoms as just a result of life, they see it as an illness that needs to be managed.”
The Ipsos poll indicated some of the main causes of depression at work, including being bullied or harassed, as well as experiencing discrimination. These are undoubtedly trigger points, but another issue is that people do not take the required rest after work finishes, explains Baynton,
“Generally, in society we keep on demanding more and more brain power through the use of technology, but also through the way we live our lives,” she says. “The brain is in motion early on in the day and for some people doesn’t stop. That can create repetitive strain injury on the brain, and that can increase symptoms of depression and anxiety.”
A frazzled worker is not a productive one, so it’s in an employer’s best interests to cultivate an environment that limits stress as much as possible. That’s easier said than done in certain professions or sectors, but there are steps any company can take to help reduce mental strain, says Baynton.
“If we were to look at what would make a physiologically-safe workplace for a police force, then look at a ballet school – the approaches would be very different. For an employer, there is no cookie-cutter approach. They need to engage employees in a discussion about what is it in their workday that is most stressful.”
She adds: “They may not be able to stop that part of your day, but what they can do is mitigate it, or help the employee to manage and cope with stress in a way that is healthy. If the employees are engaged in conversation, you get a commitment to a physiologically healthy and safe workplace, rather than just being compliant to an approach that the employer thinks is good for them.”
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It’s a major issue for individuals, employers and the county itself, with a 2016 report by the Conference Board of Canada estimating that depression costs the domestic economy $32.3 billion per year from lost productivity.
Progress is being made, however, according to Mary Ann Baynton, program director of the Centre for Mental Health. In her opinion, the fact that studies such as this are taking place shows that any stigma regarding mental illness is shifting. Baynton doesn’t see the 50% number for millennials as a real cause for alarm, either. Instead, she believes that younger workers are now addressing mental health issues much more transparently and earlier than before.
“Millennials see mental health as part of the human condition,” she says. “As opposed to looking at depressive or anxious symptoms as just a result of life, they see it as an illness that needs to be managed.”
The Ipsos poll indicated some of the main causes of depression at work, including being bullied or harassed, as well as experiencing discrimination. These are undoubtedly trigger points, but another issue is that people do not take the required rest after work finishes, explains Baynton,
“Generally, in society we keep on demanding more and more brain power through the use of technology, but also through the way we live our lives,” she says. “The brain is in motion early on in the day and for some people doesn’t stop. That can create repetitive strain injury on the brain, and that can increase symptoms of depression and anxiety.”
A frazzled worker is not a productive one, so it’s in an employer’s best interests to cultivate an environment that limits stress as much as possible. That’s easier said than done in certain professions or sectors, but there are steps any company can take to help reduce mental strain, says Baynton.
“If we were to look at what would make a physiologically-safe workplace for a police force, then look at a ballet school – the approaches would be very different. For an employer, there is no cookie-cutter approach. They need to engage employees in a discussion about what is it in their workday that is most stressful.”
She adds: “They may not be able to stop that part of your day, but what they can do is mitigate it, or help the employee to manage and cope with stress in a way that is healthy. If the employees are engaged in conversation, you get a commitment to a physiologically healthy and safe workplace, rather than just being compliant to an approach that the employer thinks is good for them.”
Related stories:
Canada leading the way on addressing mental health in the workplace
New research shows long-term disability claims rise as economy improves
