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found that the public's understanding and awareness of depression and other mental disorders as a serious public health issue had increased substantially over the last ten years.4 According to the NMHA poll:
* Nine out of ten Americans say that health insurance companies should provide coverage for mental illness which is more than or equal to coverage provided for physical illness or injury.
* Nearly all those surveyed believe that it is important for people like themselves to be ready to deal with mental illness in their families.
* One in four surveyed have an immediate family member who is suffering from a mental illness diagnosed by a physician.
* 49% say their community mental health services are fair, poor, or very poor. People with mental illness in their family gave services a lower rating.
The NMHA survey results also revealed that many Americans still believe some of the myths surrounding mental illness and are uninformed regarding employment mental health benefits. For example:5
* 57% disagree with the fact that mental illness can be diagnosed as accurately as physical illness.
* 45% of those who do not currently have a family member with mental illness believe the myth that depression is a normal part of life that can be worked through without medication.
* In terms of employment and mental health services, 57% did not know that most companies offer workers mental health benefits as part of their health insurance programs.
Workplace myths and misunderstandings concerning mental illness
Many individuals who have had a mental illness such as depression report that coping with the stigma of mental illness is often worse than dealing with the illness itself. Depression is considered the most common serious brain disease in the U.S., and although education and the dissemination of accurate information for diagnosis and treatment are more widespread than in previous decades, it is still misunderstood as a moral weakness or stigmatized as a form of insanity.6
Stigmatization is a major factor that affects the success of vocational efforts.7 Central to this problem is the belief that the impact of mental illness limits the employment prospects of people with psychiatric disabilities. Less than two decades ago, employment was not considered an option for people diagnosed with mental illness; they were frequently informed by mental health professionals that they would never work again. People generally believed that psychiatric symptomatology was incompatible with employment. Today, there is a growing professional consensus that this is inaccurate, especially in the case of depression. The belief, however, is still common and affects not only employers but also the individuals with depressive disorders.
Many people are concerned about using their employee health benefits to obtain treatment for mental illness out of fear that their bosses and colleagues will learn about the problem and use it against them. It has been reported that many professional workers who either resign a job or take a
