Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Talking About Mental Health At Work Can Still Be Taboo, But That Costs Businesses In The End
Bloomberg: Mental Health Is Still A ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Subject At Work
While there are laws to protect people with mental health issues from discrimination, the pervasive stigma around those conditions has limited their usefulness. Every avenue that exists has its shortcomings: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission takes up cases on behalf of workers who feel they’ve been discriminated against as a result of their mental health. The agency tries to resolve cases via mediation, which doesn’t create binding precedents. Even when it sues successfully, it rarely wins the kind of payouts that would force a broad change in corporate behavior. (Koons, 11/13)
Bloomberg: The Toll Of Holding A Job While Coping With Mental Health Issues
Absenteeism is one of the most noticeable symptoms of people who deal with mental health problems while holding down a job. But there’s also presenteeism, when people show up for work yet are unable to perform their best because of how they’re feeling. And the need to take breaks from working can lead to résumés with lots of jobs with short tenures. We spoke to a number of people about their experiences managing their mental health in the workplace. (Koons, 11/13)
In other mental health news —
KCUR: Missouri's Refusal To Treat Mental Health Like A Physical Condition Means Patients Wait Months
Starting treatment with a mental health specialist often requires a wait of several weeks, but many psychiatrists and other specialists in Kansas City have waiting lists stretching over months. While the need for mental health treatment has been growing in Missouri, many patient advocates say the state’s refusal to aggressively enforce mental health parity may be making the wait times even longer. (Smith, 11/13)
San Francisco Chronicle: SF Supes Fundraise For Mental Health Ballot Fight Even After Deal Is Made
For much of this year, San Francisco Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney were gearing up for a tough, expensive fight to get their overhaul of the city’s mental health care system passed on the March 2020 ballot. Campaign staff was hired, a website was built and heart-rending videos were produced to show the desperate state of those on the streets left behind by what the supervisors cast as a fundamentally broken system of care in San Francisco. (Fracassa, 11/13)
