Stress, anxiety, and depression in the workplace are common causes of disability that result in large economic costs. While mental distress is a normal experience, prolonged stress can lead to mental health problems like burnout or adjustment disorder, or develop into mental disorders like anxiety and depression if not properly addressed. Employers can implement preventative measures like psychoeducation workshops on stress management to prevent mental health issues from worsening. For employees experiencing mental health problems, a multidisciplinary approach including counseling and lifestyle assessments is recommended, while those with disorders may require additional therapies and medical treatment to support recovery and reduce disability.

1. WORKPLACE DISABILITY FROM STRESS,
ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION:
SOLUTIONS AND PREVENTATIVE MEASURES
Carlo Carandang, MD
Psychiatrist
AnxietyBoss.com Founder

2. STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH
PROBLEMS IN THE WORKPLACE
• Stress, anxiety, and depression in the workplace is a common cause of
disability
• Depression is now the second leading cause of global disability burden
(Ferrari et al., 2013), and anxiety is the sixth leading cause of disability
(Baxter et al., 2014).
• Depression and anxiety are massive economic burdens to society
• Anxiety costs the United States $42.3 billion annually (Greenberg et al.,
1999), and depression costs the U.S. $83.1 billion annually (Greenberg et
al., 2003).
• Need a systematic strategy to address mental health disability
https://anxietyboss.com/18-facts-about-anxiety-and-depression-that-everyone-should-know/

3. HOW STRESS LEADS TO ANXIETY AND
DEPRESSION
https://anxietyboss.com/how-to-avoid-burnout-from-your-job/
https://anxietyboss.com/what-are-the-symptoms-of-burnout-or-being-stressed-out/

4. WHAT ARE THE DETERMINANTS FOR STRESS
LEADING TO ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION?
https://anxietyboss.com/burnout-depression-or-anxiety-how-to-tell-the-difference/

5. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MENTAL
DISTRESS, MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS, AND
MENTAL DISORDER
• Mental Distress
• Everyone experiences mental distress
• Car won’t start in freezing winter weather; boss yells at you for treating a customer
poorly
• Self-care and psychoeducation sufficient
• Mental Health Problems
• Occurs with major setbacks- divorce, loved one died, bankruptcy
• Burnout, Adjustment Disorder
• Individual counseling and psychoeducation sufficient
• Mental Disorders
• These are mental illness and psychiatric disorders
• Requires specialist treatment and psychoeducation
https://anxietyboss.com/what-is-the-difference-between-mental-distress-mental-health-problems-and-mental-
disorders/

6. EVERYONE WILL HAVE AT LEAST ONE OF
THESE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
• For this scenario, every employee would benefit from workshops
(general psychoeducation) focused on how to deal with mental distress,
and how stress can turn into anxiety or depression, and how to reduce
stress to prevent mental disorders from developing.
• Stress management workshops is a preventative strategy from
developing disabling mental health problems and mental disorders such
as anxiety and depression.

7. DISABILITY: MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
• Disability from mental health problems require a tiered approach,
beyond general psychoeducation for mental distress.
• For mental health problems, use a multi-disciplinary approach of
individual counseling, assessment of ADL’s (activities of daily living), and
psychoeducation workshops focused on preventing conversion of
mental health problems into mental disorders.

8. DISABILITY: MENTAL DISORDERS
• Disability from mental disorders (anxiety disorders and depressive
disorders) require a tiered approach, beyond individual counseling,
ADL’s, and psychoeducation.
• For mental disorders, use a multi-disciplinary approach of individual CBT
(cognitive behavioural therapy), psychiatric referral for
pharmacotherapy, and psychoeducation workshops focused on recovery
from anxiety disorders and depressive disorders.

9. DISABILITY CAN OCCUR FROM BOTH
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AND MENTAL
DISORDERS
• Disability is not only caused by anxiety disorders and depressive
disorders
• Disability (especially short-term disability) can also occur from mental
health problems such as burnout and adjustment disorders
• Mental distress (i.e. stressed-out from daily living, loneliness, lack of
social supports) can lead to mental health problems and mental
disorders if it is not addressed adequately (preventative approach to
disability)

11. ANXIETYBOSS.COM
• Leading website for anxiety and stress, focused on self-help.1,2
• Up to 150,000 visit per month.
• Content vetted by anxiety and depression expert, Dr. Carlo.
• The only website on anxiety that is evidence-based and clinically-based.
• Thousands of articles on stress, anxiety, and depression, mostly from Dr.
Carlo’s writing and experience with seeing anxiety and depression
patients for nearly 20 years.
• Dr. Carlo available for consultation and workshop delivery to employers
wanting an onsite solution to their employee mental health problems.
https://blog.feedspot.com/anxiety_blogs/
https://drmelissawelby.com/best-resources-anxiety/