Dr. JianLi Wang, Director of the IMHR’s Work and Mental Health Research Unit is currently involved in a study that explores the impact of an e-health program on the mental health, productivity, and quality of life of high-risk working women.
Mental illness has a major impact on the Canadian workforce and economy.
Each week, in fact, more than 500,000 Canadians do not go to work due to mental health-related issues and illnesses.
With summer winding down and Canadians returning to work, it is an important time for employers to start looking at strategies for managing mental health in the workplace. These strategies should not only ensure access to quality mental health care services for employees when they become sick, but should also focus on keeping people well.
Ongoing work at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), affiliated with the University of Ottawa, is striving to tackle the issue of how Canadian workplaces can determine or predict the likelihood of employees developing mental illness, and implement focused strategies to support at-risk individuals.
Led by Dr. JianLi Wang, the IMHR’s Work and Mental Health Research Unit is conducting innovative work to improve mental health in the workplace, including the development of depression risk calculators for individuals and organizational use, and web-based mental-health programs which high-risk employees can access to learn practical self-care skills.
Following a year-long study involving 400 high-risk working women from across the country, an e-health program benefitting both men and women is expected to be rolled out to Canadian workplaces and organizations.