What is Mental Health?
The World Health Organization (WHO) conceptualized mental health as a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It has intrinsic and instrumental value and is integral to our well-being.
The Challenge in the Americas (from the WHO)
Mental and substance use disorders have a high prevalence and are major causes of disability and premature mortality. However, allocated resources are insufficient and inequitably distributed, resulting in a treatment gap that exceeds 70% in many countries. Stigma and discrimination exacerbate this situation. Median spending on mental health in the Region is just 2.1% of the total health budget, with 42% of these funds allocated to psychiatric hospitals rather than community-based services.
Source: Mental Health Atlas 2024
The Need for Support
The Challenge in the United States (from the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services)
⇒ 76% of U.S. workers reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition.
⇒ 84% of respondents said their workplace conditions had contributed to at least one mental health challenge.
⇒ 81% of workers reported that they will be looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future.
Sources: MindShare Partners’ 2021 Mental Health at Work Report & APA’s 2022 Work and Well-being Survey results
Addressing the Need
In 2022, WHO’s World mental health report: transforming mental health for all, highlighted the workplace as a key example of a setting where transformative action on mental health is needed.
The Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well‑Being
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) believes we can build workplaces that are engines of well-being, showing workers that they matter, that their work matters, and that they have the workplace resources and support necessary to flourish.
Published in 2022, the 30-page Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being offers a foundation that workplaces can build upon. Centered on the worker’s voice and equity, these Five Essentials support workplaces as engines of well-being. Each essential is grounded in two human needs, shared across industries and roles. Creating a plan to enact these practices can help strengthen the essentials of workplace well‑being.
Learn more and download the Framework at the Department of Health & Human Services' website: