Mental health promotion and suicide prevention in the workplace: Policy and response recommendations to help employers positively impact workers and the work environment

In the United States, roughly 50,000 people die by suicide each year, most of whom are of working age. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), one in  five adult Americans lives with a mental health condition every year. While rates for diagnosed mental health conditions vary by demographic, conditions like anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders  are quite common. Yet few workers will get the support they need to establish healthy levels of well-being. In fact, a systematic review on suicide help-seeking reported that only 40% of adults aged 18 and  older sought help for their suicide thoughts or behavior. Psychologically unsafe workplaces that are not friendly to mental health contribute to the gap between the need for support and help-seeking  behavior. The failure of workplaces to address psychological safety negatively impacts employees and often leads to challenges with employee engagement, absenteeism, presenteeism, morale, and safety and error concerns. Of course, the worst outcomes of unaddressed workplace mental health challenges are deaths by suicide, overdoses, and the consequences of addiction. All of these challenges lead to  significant ramifications for the employer and coworkers, including turnover and increased costs. Conversely, proactive investment in mental health promotion and suicide prevention offers the employer  a strong ROI (Return on Investment).