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Employers and Employees Encouraged to Recognize May as Mental Health Month
May is national Mental Health Month, and employers and employees around the country are encouraged to participate. This annual campaign, sponsored by Mental Health America (formerly the National Mental Health Association), educates about mental health issues and how they impact all aspects of life, including employment.
Mental Health America offers a variety of materials that employers and employees of all ages and in all industries can use to help balance everyday stress, increase their awareness of mental health issues and improve their overall health. In observance of Mental Health Month 2009, the organization is launching the Live Your Life WellSM campaign to provide people with 10 specific, research-based tools that can combat stress and promote health and well-being. Also available is a Workplace Stress Reduction package that includes multiple copies of “Mind Your Stress—On the Job” fact sheets for distribution to employees, as well as “Mind Your Health” notepads and posters for display in the workplace.
Mental health challenges sometimes coincide with substance use disorders, which can cause serious safety, health and productivity problems in the workplace. Organizations can help support improved mental health among workers--during Mental Health Month and all year round--by educating about the importance of being drug-free to staying well. Many organizations do this through drug-free workplace programs. Such programs help build and sustain a healthier workforce.
For more information about how to develop drug-free workplace programs, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Web site. For more information about Mental Health Month, or to find a Mental Health Month event near you, call 1-800-969-6642 or visit Mental Health America’s Web site.
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