Mental health - Articles - Page 6

Following employee suicides, company found guilty of “institutional harassment”

19 workers took their own lives

January 6, 2020

In a first-ever action, a company and its former managers were criminally prosecuted for institutional harassment associated with suicides among the company’s employees. In a judgment last month, the Paris Criminal Court sentenced France Telecom to a fine of 75,000 euros - the maximum penalty – for institutional harassment that had spread from the leadership to the rest of the company in 2007-2008.

Preventing employee suicides

December 6, 2019

After increasing steadily from 2005 - 2015, workplace suicides in the U.S. hit a new record high in 2016 – 291 – according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A total of 1,719 male and female workers committed suicide on the job between 2003 and 2007. Those numbers only takes into account suicides that occur at work. Among occupational groups, male employees of construction and mining companies had the highest suicide rate: 53.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2015, up from 43.6 in 2012.

FCC considering three-digit suicide prevention hotline

December 4, 2019

With suicide rates rising in the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing the establishment of 988 as a national 3-digit number to help people access suicide prevention and mental health services. While a National Suicide Prevention Lifeline already exists – and can reached at (1-800-273-TALK) – FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says an easy-to-reach number would result in more people getting the assistance they need.

Public health experts take on climate change, asbestos, drinking water safety

November 8, 2019

Eliminating exposure to asbestos and addressing the effect of climate change on mental health were two of the fourteen new policy statements adopted by the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Governing Council at its 2019 Annual Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia this week. The ambitious agenda includes topics ranging from environmental justice to drinking water safety and attacks on health workers.

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Model workplace mental health programs

DuPont, Merck, Duke & a family business

November 5, 2019

One of the best ways to get started with a workplace mental health initiative is to learn about what other employers have done, especially those of a similar size and/or nature.

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Department of Labor issues Mental Health Toolkit

Creating a workplace culture for employees facing mental health issues

November 5, 2019

The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new resource to help employers better understand mental health issues, and obtain guidance on how to cultivate a work environment that supports employees with related conditions.

Employee behavioral health program improves depression, anxiety

October 25, 2019

An employer-sponsored behavioral health program can reduce symptoms in employees with depression and anxiety, reports a study in the October Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

NIOSH addresses suicide prevention

October 3, 2019

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published a new webpage on Suicide and Occupation. The page includes factors that are linked to increased risk of suicide among occupations, ways to prevent suicide in the workplace, and a host of other resources. There were more than 47,000 deaths by suicide in the U.S. in 2017. It was the second leading cause of death among people 10 to 34 years of age.

Positive Safety Culture

Burnout raises the risks

What’s your workload? How much control do you have?

Dr. John Kello

September 12, 2019

The term “burnout” is used loosely to describe being worn out, exhausted, or frazzled. It actually refers to a specific work-stress-related syndrome that has a long history in the psychological research literature.

Concussion linked to higher risk of suicide years later

September 5, 2019

Average people who suffer a concussion may be three times more likely to commit suicide years after their brain injury, a new Canadian study suggests. The long-term risk of suicide appears to increase even more if the head injury occurs during a weekend, researchers found.