Mental health is an important societal issue. The problem affects 1 in 5 of us and yet few people are comfortable talking about it.
But increasingly, governments and corporations are facing the reality that talking about mental illness is essential. It is a huge drag on both businesses and economies. Just two common conditions, depression and anxiety, cost the global economy US$ 1 trillion every year in lost productivity. The total cost of the global mental health crisis is estimated to reach US$ 16 trillion by the year 2030.
So how can we encourage a conversation?
The IBM Institute for Business Value has published a paper on how technology and data can reduce stigma and improve access to mental health resources. It was written with leaders from government, academia, and business.
- Aimee Johnson, US Veterans Administration Office of Suicide Prevention
- Dr. Heather Stuart, Professor of Public Health at Queens University in Toronto
- Dr. Lydia Campbell, Chief Medical Officer for IBM Corporate Health and Safety
The report considers personalized health management as a new frontier to help address the global crisis and reduce stigma. But, for technology to have a positive impact, it is critical to understand social, cognitive capability, and other differences of various populations to offer treatment options that work.
In addition, on October 10, 2019, GiveAnHour.org and IBM hosted a massive online conversation about changing the culture around mental health. The goal was to look for ways of shifting the dynamic from one of stigma—to one of openness and empowerment. Held on World Mental Health Day, more than 2000 people from around the world registered. Jammers included celebrities, leaders from veterans’ communities and healthcare, corporations and athletics.
Improving Access
Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen from the Veterans Administration was one of the top Jammers. She is the Executive Director of the PREVENTS Task Force, a multi-agency team building a US strategy to improve mental health and prevent suicide. She strongly believes that improving access to services is critical. Technology has a huge role there, according to Dr Van Dahlen.
“There really shouldn’t be ANY wrong door when someone who is suffering emotionally is seeking help or is in need of treatment. Through our efforts on the PREVENTS Task Force - we are seeing companies, universities, government agencies... all moving in this direction. The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have long been embedding mental health consultation and care into primary care. We absolutely need to continue to move in this direction - conversations that educate and identify how such resources that can be embedded - and the value of doing so - help move us forward.”
On November 7, we will report on the full results of the jam at the Change Direction Conference in New York City. In the meantime, the Institute of Business Value report is available today. Look out for future blogs where we will continue the conversation on this important topic.
Meet the authors
