Ute Bültmann, Professor of Community and Occupational Medicine, and Rosalind Franklin Fellow, Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center, University of Groningen
Coach House, Green College, UBC
March 12, 5:00-6:30 pm
Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and adjustment disorders, have emerged as major public and occupational health problems in many countries. According to the World Health Organization, by 2030 unipolar depressive disorders will be the biggest economic and social health burden on society. Mental health problems affect the quality of life of the individual, are often recurrent in nature, and have a negative impact on social relationships and functioning. Costs for employers will increase due to decreased workplace productivity Costs for society will rise due to increases in sickness absence, work disability, and/ or unemployment benefits. To curtail the burden Bültmann believes it is important to increase the evidence base for the effective prevention of work disability in workers with mental health problems and for the facilitation of a sustainable working life. In her talk, Bültmann will illustrate the unique challenges presented by mental health problems by focusing on: 1) the current evidence from return-to-work interventions, and 2) the workplace as arena for interventions addressing workplace issues and support structures that facilitate return to work, prevent recurrences, and enable a sustainable working life.
More about the Green College Population Health lecture series.
