On Nov. 29, the 2019 Toronto Mental Health Summit featured sessions on how employers can approach mental health in the workplace, including removing the stigma and facilitating positive return-to-work transitions. Here’s what you missed! Social connection can build or erode mental health, resilience Between 2017 and 2019, the number of individuals reporting mental-health issues has risen […]
Between 2017 and 2019, the number of individuals reporting mental-health issues has risen by seven per cent, according to Dr. Sam Mikail, psychologist and senior mental-health consultant at Sun Life. “We haven’t seen an improvement,” he said during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Toronto Mental Health Summit on Nov. 29. “If anything, we’ve seen […]
Mental-health symptomology — such as difficulty concentrating, feelings of isolation and lack of motivation — is incredibly impactful in the workplace and makes it difficult for people to function at or return to work. “There’s no question that anxiety and depression are very prevalent in the Canadian workplace and are very relevant to plan sponsors,” […]
In recent years, advancements in technology have led to the development and cost-effective delivery of sophisticated digital mental-health programs, with burgeoning resources for common mental-health problems. Today, a Google search for ‘digital therapies for anxiety’ yields more than 67 million results, while ‘digital therapies for depression’ brings up more than 80 million results, said Dr. […]
Over the last 40 years, the mortality morbidities of cancer, HIV and cardiovascular disease have dropped dramatically, but the mortality of suicide has gone up, according to Dr. Sam Ozersky, president and chief executive officer of FeelingBetterNow. “Ten people per day, mostly from the ages of 15 to 25, die from suicide,” he said during […]
Internet-based programs are the future of mental-health therapy, according to Peter Gove, the former innovation leader in health management at Green Shield Canada, speaking during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Toronto Mental Health Summit on Nov. 29. “Cognitive behavioural therapy is probably the most adaptable therapy to a digital environment because it’s very manualized — you […]
Mental health is the third largest health spend in terms of benefits plan management, according to Derek Weir, manager of health benefit solutions at Medavie Blue Cross. “Fifty-three per cent of Canadians consider anxiety and depression ‘epidemic’ in Canada and 85 per cent say mental-health services are among the most underfunded in health care,” he said […]
When Mark Henick, principal and chief executive officer at Strategic Mental Health Solutions, was younger, he felt he had no choice but to take his own life. In the small Cape Breton community where he grew up, few support systems were available for a young person suffering from what turned out to be severe and […]
Among the ways employers can encourage better employee mental health is to focus on prevention by raising awareness, reduce structural barriers and provide mental-health education, said Manulife’s Gillian Wells during Benefits Canada‘s 2019 Mental Health Summit on Nov. 29 in Toronto. People often hide how they’re really feeling behind curtains of non-disclosure, which leaves them […]
Since good nutrition contributes to better mental health, what people eat has a direct relationship to their mood and how they function, said Charmaine Alexander, senior advisor of disability management at Desjardins Insurance. “Let’s compare our brains to a car engine,” she said during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2019 Mental Health Summit on Nov. […]