Ever since I started working on mental health care 10 years ago, almost every individual I meet can speak to me, privately and intimately, about their mental health journey and the battles it comes with—but until recently, those stories never came above the surface in public spaces. Workplaces did not talk about mental health, schools did not talk about it, and battling with depression was certainly not a conversation someone shared with their manager at work.
Over the past 18 months, something profound happened: We all stopped pretending. Employees’ former secret battles–with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and more–evolved into the foremost concern workplaces are looking to solve over the next five years. In one fell swoop, mental illness skyrocketed and employers, health plans, and health systems were immediately under pressure to meet the need.
