Tips, too, of what doctors need to provide employers
Depression has become one of America’s most costly illnesses.
Depression is estimated to cause 200 million lost workdays each year at a cost of up to $44 billion to U.S. employers, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, citing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
Moreover, an employee does not have to be physically absent to be non-productive.
“Presenteeism,” in which employees show up for work but are unable to focus or perform to the employer’s standards, also takes its toll on productivity AND on other team members.
Finally, people with depression often experience greater stigma for their illness because of misconceptions about its causes and treatments. Many people think that depression is due to personal weakness or otherwise is not a real health condition. They are wrong.
Depression is a recognized illness that requires treatment, and may also constitute a “ mental impairment” disability under state and federal law if it “substantially limits” one or more major activities under the 2008 Amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In many cases, the first piece of information an employer receives about an employee’s medical condition, especially for depression or other mental illnesses, is a note from a doctor that outlines some type of restriction, such as “James must be off work this week due to stress and should be moved to a different department upon return.”
...I was struck by a classic example of “Don’t believe everything you read” on the front page of the Middletown newsletter, “Middletown Today,” (September 2026 Volume 6 Edition 12). What caught my eye...