- This post is part of Business Insider's ongoing series on Better Capitalism.
- Bernard J. Tyson argues that we should be doing more to address mental illness in the United States.
- Letting it go untreated has an economic toll, he says, and productivity would increase with better care and reduced stigma.
We are facing a silent epidemic of global proportions.
While we might not mind telling someone we are diabetic, we might think twice before sharing that we are anxious or depressed.
Yet conversations about our collective mental health and wellness should become as common as conversations about diabetes, weight loss or high blood pressure.
In our communities, workplaces, and families, the stigma that allows us to ignore mental health conditions hinders our collective ability to thrive. The impact on our public health, economy and society is immense.
Mental illnesses are the leading cause of disability worldwide because mental health conditions are common —affecting one in five adults. They often show up earlier in life than most other chronic conditions, which means they are sometimes overlooked.
It should be shocking to us — and unacceptable — that suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for people between the ages of 15 and 29.
Despite the depth and scale of this silent epidemic, there is hope. We are making significant progress in demystifying these conditions. We know more about diagnosing and treating mental health conditions than ever before.
At Kaiser Permanente, our members have access to collaborative care where primary care physicians are supported by specialized teams to treat depression and where psychiatrists are available to consult for cases that aren’t improving as expected. It’s important to connect experts in mental health and wellness to the primary care doctor.
We must broaden these efforts.
First, it’s critical that we integrate mental and physical health and wellness. Too often, we have separate locations, separate doors, and separate care teams for mental and physical care. We know that many people who visit their physicians about physical ailments are often suffering from mental health challenges. Indeed, mental health challenges can cause physical ailments.
Studies have shown significant benefits to care models that integrate mental health with primary care, and organizations like the World Health Organization and the National Alliance on Mental Illness have publicly called for increased emphasis on an integrated approach.
These models are much the way we take care of other chronic illnesses like diabetes, where a care team tracks and adjusts care to reach a treatment target.
Second, even in 2018, the stigma associated with mental illnesses remains a significant hurdle in identifying people who need help and getting them the help they need. By eliminating the stigma, we can empower people to seek treatment.
Finally, let’s get rid of the idea that society will be burdened by the costs associated with improving mental health access and services. It’s a fallacy.
We already pay for this epidemic through the increased cost of care when mental illness is left untreated, through our ever-expanding prison population, through a loss of workplace productivity, and through emergency room treatments that could have been avoided.
The World Health Organization cites depression as the leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the overall burden of disease. By addressing such mental disabilities, we can improve productivity.
The human and economic toll is real. And the cumulative cost to business and society is something we can no longer ignore.
By working together to address mental health, we will reinforce our commitment to better capitalism, creating a new reality where we prioritize our investment in employees, students and communities.
Bernard J. Tyson is the chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals — known as Kaiser Permanente, one of America’s leading integrated health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. With annual operating revenue of nearly $73 billion, Kaiser Permanente serves 12 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia.
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