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Increasing awareness of depression through the workplace

Productivity lost to depression in Australia is approaching $4.3billion, key speaker David Juriansz from Beyondblue stated at a workshop recently hosted by Latrobe City.

By Latrobe City Council - 6th November 2006 - Back to News

Those attending the workshop, which was aimed at increasing the awareness of depression in the community and its impact on the workplace; also heard about the burden of living with depression and associated disorders, treatment options, how to recognise depression in the workplace, and about the duty of care to staff suffering with depression.

Latrobe’s manager organisational development, Seona Conway, said that the idea for the workshop was put forward by a council staff member, Kellie Gavin who identified the need for a greater awareness of depression and its consequences within workplaces. "The idea was generated while Kellie was deciding on a project during leadership training. Development of a project that benefits the organisation is a mandatory aspect of participation in Latrobe City’s Frontline Leadership Program," Ms Conway explained.

"The idea put forward by Kellie had great merit, and was developed to the stage where the workshop was planned and undertaken.

"When you consider a staggering $4.3billion is lost in productivity due to depression, it is important that organisations recognise a need to address this issue. The workshop was Latrobe’s first step towards trying to manage this crippling condition and its wide-reaching effects on the community," Ms Conway said.

"The workshop was facilitated by Beyondblue, a national not-for-profit organisation whose key aim is to address the issues associated with and raise community awareness about depression and related disorders. They can also tailor workplace depression programs for organisations," Ms Conway explained.

"We invited our own executive team as well as staff from external organisations International Power Hazelwood and Loy Yang B, ASIC and Gippsland Water to attend and received very positive feedback from those who participated.

"We hope that workplaces across Latrobe City recognise that they can have a positive impact on the escalation rate of depression by promoting awareness of, and reducing the stigma associated with mental illness and becoming more informed about depression, anxiety, and substance misuse disorders," Ms Conway added.

"To continue promoting awareness of depression and mental health conditions, Latrobe City will initiate staff information sessions and produce informative material on its in-house website. We also hope to see other organisations around the municipality getting on board and offering training and information sessions for their staff," Ms Conway said.

"Depression does not just affect the person suffering, but it has an impact on every aspect of that person’s life – their family, friends and work colleagues. By increasing awareness of this condition through workplace initiatives, we hope to break down the barriers of stigma and ignorance and try to make a brighter, more productive future for all those concerned," Ms Conway concluded.

For more information on depression, anxiety and related drug and alcohol problems, where to get help and available treatments log onto www.beyondblue.org.au or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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