Fighting depression and stigma at city hall

Hamilton joining the burgeoning issue of dealing with mental health issues

Drugs to combat depression are the second most common type of medications prescribed to city of Hamilton employees and their family members.

And, when combined with prescriptions for other mental disorders, depression is the primary indication for 13 per cent of the city’s drug plan usage.

Those striking stats are part of an update on the city’s new workplace mental health strategy presented to councillors this week.

Coun. Aidan Johnson summed up the significance of the information thusly:

“On the one hand it’s sad that so many people need depression drugs; I guess the flip side is I’m relieved that our employees … are reaching out for help.”

For the record, high blood pressure medications are the No. 1 type of drugs paid for by the city’s drug benefit plan.

And the prevalence of depression-related drugs is entirely consistent with other organizations covered by Manulife, the benefit plan administrator.

Still, Johnson is dead-on when he says the data is a “telling piece of evidence.”

The grim reality is mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and runaway stress are now firmly rooted as common features of working life.

According to a study last year by Civic Action, a non-partisan urban strategy organization, an estimated 1.5 million workers in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton are affected by mental health issues.

This growing recognition of the importance of workplace mental health was underlined just last week when the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion on the subject.

In that context, the city of Hamilton appears to be moving in the right direction. Last year council signed off on a comprehensive policy to support workplace mental health.

Based upon national standards, the strategy is intended to raise awareness, reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, and provide supports to improve “personal resilience and achieve optimal mental health and well being.”

“It’s important to us because we know that people are feeling challenges in all parts of their lives,” said David Lindeman, the city’s manager of health, safety and wellness.

To guide implementation, the city formed an advisory committee which so far has spent most of its efforts comparing the city’s programs to national standards for workplace psychological health and safety.

Once that’s done, the group will recommend ways to improve policies and programs. A communications plan is also in the works.

Meanwhile, instructors have been rolling out a program for staff called The Working Mind, devised by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Among other features, it aims to reduce stigma and encourage employees to seek help.

So far, the city’s paramedics have all undergone training to help them recognize symptoms of poor mental health and to develop coping skills such as deep breathing and visualizations techniques. According to Lindeman, the training is now being given to HSR workers.

Interestingly, WSIB claims related to workplace mental health have risen in the first two quarters of 2017 over the same time frame in 2016. Lindeman says that’s no surprise.

“It wasn’t unexpected — as awareness is being raised and the stigma is being lowered — that some people might come forward that in the past might not have.”

So is a spike in WSIB claims a measure of success?

Perhaps. But a surer one may be the justconcluded employee survey intended to help guide and evaluate the mental health programs. Lindeman expects that data will be available early next year.

Whatever the survey reveals, there won’t be any going back. As Johnson notes, “a new conversation” has clearly started for the city’s 7,100 or so employees.