Canada recently began a deep analysis of its mental healthcare system (something the US desperately needs to do, too, but won’t, because the mentally-ill are not a political constituency that anyone in American politics cares about).

Some findings are now coming out, as a result, and they are interesting. The most notable finding is the relatively (and unexpectedly) high number of Canadian workers who reported having been diagnosed with depression. But something buried in this report is actually more significant:

In the past year, one in five workers took days off due to depression, anxiety or stress. More than half were off work for more than a week, and 20 per cent for a month or more.

That is an awful lot of lost workplace time. That time takes a toll not only on the affected worker, but on co-workers (who must compensate for the person’s absence) and the business itself. As most of us know, depression doesn’t just hurt the patient; it affects everyone around him/her, and the workplace is not exempt from this. Unfortunately, too many workers either don’t get treatment, or settle for inadequate treatment, fearing discovery of their “secret.” Their livelihoods are at stake so they tend to be overcautious.

If society would simply accept the reality of depression, a lot of misery — for those who suffer from it, and those around them, as well as the businesses they work for — could be avoided.