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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 particular, it offers 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.
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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