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Mental Health Wellness in the Workplace

Lisa Masters
May 13
4 min read

Updated: Aug 25

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which has been observed in the US

since 1949. Mental wellness has always been an important part of society and the

workplace. The topic was thrust even more into the spotlight during the COVID

pandemic.

In 2022, the rate of suicide in the workplace increased by 13.1 percent, from 236

deaths the year prior, to 267. Of those suicides in 2022, approximately 56.2 percent

were among workers that were 45 years of age or older. In 2019, there were 255

first responder suicides nationwide.

According to the CDC, 49,000 people died by suicide in the US during 2022, which

equates to one death every 11 minutes. In Oregon, suicide was the 10th leading

cause of death with 833 suicides in 2022. The following CDC statistics are just as

staggering:

13.2 million have seriously considered or thought about suicide
3.8 million individuals have planned for suicide
1.6 million people have attempted suicide

The National Library of Medicine reports that suicide is the fourth leading

cause of death for individuals aged 15 to 29 and 58% of the suicides

globally in 2019 were among people under the age of 50.

WHO (World Health Organization) estimated that for every company that

has 1,000 employees, at least one worker will die by suicide every ten years

and another 10-20 individuals will attempt suicide.

According to research, including one performed at John Hopkins, suicide

rates increase in the spring (April, May, and June), sometimes two to three

times higher than those in winter months. This is contrary to popular belief

that suicide rates increase during the holiday or winter months.

Based on information from Cleveland Clinic and John Hopkins, some of the

warning signs of suicide can be:

Isolating or pulling away from family and friends.
Changes in mood
Reckless behaviors
Addictive behavior (alcohol and drug use)
Not paying attention to personal appearance
Loss of interest in usual activities or work, community, school
Not accepting or responding to praise
Giving or throwing away items that were previously important to them
Verbalizing threats to kill themselves, commit suicide, not be a
problem any longer, or saying “if anything happens to me…”

Once someone gets to the point of these warning signs above, particularly

verbalizing that they don’t want to live any longer, it is even more

imperative to take the potential of suicide very seriously. Suicide has had

such a stigma in history, that many people won’t talk about their feelings

of despair and hopelessness. Those who are survivors of suicide (family,

friends, coworkers) haven’t felt comfortable discussing their feeling of loss

that comes from losing someone who has taken their own life. People

don’t know what to say or how to help, so they tend to avoid or not to

discuss it. For that reason and others, suicide tends to occur more than

once in families, workplaces or friendship circles.

Aside from depression, risk factors of suicide include a family history of

suicide, alcoholism, physical/sexual abuse history, loss of a loved one, the

end of a relationship, chronic pain or terminal illness, and prior suicide

attempts.

The US Surgeon General has developed resources for employers showing

the Five Essentials for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being. The five

essentials of protection from harm, connection/community, work-life

harmony, mattering at work, and opportunity for growth all have elements

of two of the basic human needs — security and safety.

Below are some of the ways that employers can help to develop and grow

employees’ sense of well-being and emotional stability in the workplace.

Prioritizing physical and psychological safety
Normalizing and supporting mental health efforts
Providing autonomy over how work is completed
Ensuring work/life balance and respecting those boundaries
Engaging employees in decisions made in the workplace that affect them
Developing a culture of employee recognition, gratitude, and ability for career advancements
Offering resources to provide growth, including mentoring, training and education
Cultivating trust in the workplace
Ensuring employees aren’t subjected to physical harm, bullying, emotional hostility or harassment
Providing counseling resources through EAP (Employee Assistance Programs) or benefits plans.
Letting employees know they can talk when feeling depressed or low