Refocus your efforts on employee mental health

Long story short: Refocus your efforts on employee mental health

November 11, 2022 2:00 PM

Employees aren't out of the woods when it comes to their mental health.

Mental health issues continue to be a persistent obstacle for employees — and with the holiday season fast-approaching, stress could be even higher. Yet employers are continuing to prioritize mental health solutions that help employees manage anxiety, depression and other challenging conditions.

For veterans in particular, who are five times more likely to have depression and anxiety than civilians, mental health is a condition kept private. Yet it's critical to bring it out of the shadows and destigmatize seeking help. A recent survey from healthcare platform APN lays out the current state of veteran mental health.

One company is taking a different approach to therapeutic support — hemp products company Hemplucid partnered with Numinus, a mental health company that provides psychedelic-assisted therapies, to offer its employees six sessions of ketamine psychotherapy. The treatment, which involves an injection of the hallucinogenic anesthetic, makes it easier for patients to explore their own thinking alongside their therapist. Hemplucid's CEO shares how it's worked for him and his team.

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Could ketamine psychotherapy be the next big mental health benefit?

Mental health in the U.S. has taken a turn for worse since the start of the pandemic, and many employers are still looking for ways to support their workers. Chase Hudson, founder and CEO of CBD hemp products company Hemplucid, is turning to an unconventional solution to help his employees.

Hudson's company offers ketamine psychotherapy as a mental health benefit to his 20 employees. Ketamine psychotherapy typically involves six infusions of ketamine, an anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects. Patients are monitored under the guidance of a therapist over a several-week period. This is not considered the go-to treatment for mental health disorders, but rather a solution for patients with depression or PTSD after other forms of therapy have failed. Yet Hudson tells associate editor Deanna Cuadra this treatment plan has been far more effective than traditional therapy and he's seen the difference it makes on his workforce.

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Could ketamine psychotherapy be the next big mental health benefit?

Mental health struggles plague the veteran community after service

Military service members and veterans have made huge sacrifices in order to protect and serve. But those sacrifices don't end when they return to civilian life — for many, their struggle with mental health is a life-long battle.

Forty-three percent of veterans say their mental health is worse than before they enlisted in the military, according to a survey on veteran mental health by healthcare company APN. Forty-five percent of respondents don't anticipate an improvement in their mental health within the next year, and a quarter of veterans don't know where to seek out mental health services to treat their issues. Because this has an impact on their employment prospects and success, employers should seek out new ways to reach this population and provide the emotional support they need.

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Mental health struggles plague the veteran community after service

When COVID is no longer a public health emergency, what happens to healthcare?

Is the pandemic over? While the answer to that question varies greatly depending on who you ask, it's clear that our relationship with COVID-19 is shifting. As restrictions and safety protocols continue to soften, a more pressing question emerges: What will healthcare and benefits look like once the pandemic is over? One area that will need continuous investment is mental health benefits.

"People need to take a close examination of what their mental health benefit is, and if they have family coverage — children have struggled through COVID socially and academically, and anxiety has been high," Michael Strazzella, head of federal government relations at law firm Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney, tells editor-in-chief Stephanie Schomer. "They need to talk to their employers now, as things are getting decided, to ensure there's that opportunity for what they need."

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When COVID is no longer a public health emergency, what happens to healthcare?

20 countries with the best work-life balance. Did the U.S. make the list?

Work-life balance is an elusive goal, and one that's only gotten harder throughout the pandemic. Yet some countries have excelled, by offering generous paid leave, shorter working hours and other benefits that help their citizens strike a happy medium.

Price comparison platform Compare the Market ranked countries across the world to find locations where work-life balance was the best. Unsurprisingly, Scandinavian countries took many of the top spots on their ranking. Finland, which has been named the Happiest Country in the World by the World Happiness Report five years in a row, took the second spot on this list. Mothers get a whopping 161 weeks of maternity leave (compared to zero weeks in the U.S.), and the country also boasts 30 additional days of paid leave for all employees each year. See all the countries that ranked highly.

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20 countries with the best work-life balance. Did the U.S. make the list?