This article originally appeared on Above The Law Pressed shirts. Steely focus. Perfectly chosen words.  To the outside world, attorneys are seen as having it all together. But behind those dialed-in exteriors, many hide crippling mental health issues or work hard to disguise signs of substance abuse.  According to a recent study, mental illness and heavy alcohol use is “exceedingly high” among attorneys, and half are experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Concerningly, 20.4% of the women surveyed report moderate to severe depression symptoms, compared with 15.3% of men. Ad ..read more

This is Part 4 of our blog series, Supporting Neurodiversity in the Workplace The dual responsibilities of work and caregiving When my son was diagnosed with autism, I was fortunate to be a school child psychologist in a workplace where autism and my caregiving responsibilities were understood. I was able to easily find out about resources, specialized providers, and what to look for in my son’s behavior and development.  But most parents don’t have that knowledge or those resources. For many parents, there is so much confusion about how to identify concerns, the very practical aspec ..read more

Harmful alcohol use is common  Unhealthy alcohol use has impacted most people’s lives in some way. But it’s often hidden, due to shame and stigma, tucked away in every corner of society. The workplace is no exception. There’s no industry or sector without employees who are dealing with problems related to their alcohol use, have a family member or loved one who is struggling, or possibly both.  The wellbeing of loved ones plays a huge role in employees’ lives, and when something starts impacting their family or friends, it can be a heavy stressor and burden for that person. And this ..read more

Safety should be fundamental at work As we celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility—a day of joy and awareness—we’re also in the midst of an ongoing wave of anti-trans bills, more than 150 in 25 states.  This is a grim reminder that trans people are still often not safe in our current cultural climate, including at work. For trans employees, workplaces are often unwelcoming—which is likely why more than half of trans employees are not out at work, and two-thirds hide their identity in professional settings related to work. In other words, don’t assume there aren’t trans emplo ..read more

This is Part 2 of our Spring Stories blog series, sharing the personal mental health journeys of Spring Health employees I knew from a very young age that my reactions to things were a little more extreme and a little longer lasting, than others my age. Both small and large events generated emotional highs and lows, from something as seemingly meaningless as not having the “right” wardrobe as a teenager, to my parents announcing they were getting a divorce when I was 12. I felt like I was always on an emotional rollercoaster. But it would take two more decades for me to be formally diagnosed w ..read more

This is Part 5 of our blog series on Improving Access with a Leading Provider Network. The role of artificial intelligence in mental healthcare Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have been dominating news headlines, and you may be wondering how it’s being used to improve mental healthcare. At its broadest definition, AI combines computer science and large datasets to enable problem-solving, which has branched off into many applications across a variety of subfields. The goal is to build generalizable systems that can mimic human intelligence, which is known as artificial ..read more

When you think about therapy and employee mental health, what comes to mind?  Are you picturing someone in the midst of a breakdown or with a severe mental health condition? Or someone who is trying to navigate anxiety at work, issues with sleep, or even the transition of retirement? Mental health is not fixed or static. It exists on a spectrum, and is always in flux. Everyone has ups and downs in their emotional lives, contingent upon internal and external circumstances. At times, we can all use a professional listening ear. No one needs a medical diagnosis to start therapy, and there is ..read more

Sleeping at work is a sign of a larger problem Everyone can relate to getting a bad night’s sleep and feeling grumpy and sluggish the next day. When we sleep poorly, it shapes both our physical and mental health— our moods, emotions, relationships, cognitive function, and work performance.  Poor sleep can become dangerous when employees are chronically exhausted, sleeping on the job, and struggling with their work. Falling asleep at work is a sign that your employee may be one of the 237 million people globally living with insomnia. Moderate sleep deprivation is equivalent to the cognitiv ..read more

According to a recent Gallup poll, only one in three employees are engaged at work, a number that has decreased in recent years.  The poll found that 60% of people feel emotionally detached from work, and 19% report feeling miserable. Work-related stress is at an all-time high, with 44% of workers experiencing burdensome stress on a daily basis. Gallup’s study also found that employee disengagement is costing the global economy $7.8 trillion total—in addition to contributing to unhealthy work environments and employee mental health problems. This cost comes from lower productivity due to ..read more

This is Part 4 of our blog series on Improving Access with a Leading Provider Network. When choosing a mental health solution, the ultimate goal is to deliver support for your members quickly. The sooner they see changes in their lives, the better.  However, timeliness can’t eclipse quality. Top-tier care means fast access to quality providers who can help you and your members improve in all aspects of life, including work.  Clinical outcomes are one of the most important ways to evaluate mental health solutions. The ROI of a provider network is equally important, giving you insight ..read more