Mental and physical illnesses are taking big toll on the working days of employees thereby causing monetary loss to companies. 50% of Americans on average is losing 32.1 working days a year due to 30 different illnesses. So, 3.6 billion days a year are lost due to these diseases of which mental illnesses account for 1.3 billion days.   This was revealed in a survey by Harvard Medical School researchers. The results are published in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. Survey was conducted on 6,000 adults over age 18.   Depression is the major mental illness while neck and back pain is the major physical illness that is responsible for loss of so many work days. But researchers have not given any guidance on monetary impact due to loss of these work days.   Physicians failed to diagnose mental illnesses properly. 75% of elderly patients who committed suicide were consulted doctors just before one month. But doctors failed to diagnose the underlying mental illness and treat it. Depression is the major factor for these suicides.     How many work days lost due to mental disorders?   Depression took toll on 387 million working days while 214 million days lost due to social phobia. 113 million work days lost due to post traumatic stress disorder (POST), 110 million days lost due to generalized anxiety and 103 million days due to bipolar disorder. Panic disorders accounted for 101 million while substance abuse took toll on 93 million working days.   Chronic conditions like cancer (71.5 million), heart attack (204 million), stroke (221 million), and vision loss are also taking so many work days of people.   Governments should spend more money to study the diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal conditions and psychiatric disorders.     … [Read more...]