How You Can Use Treatment as Prevention From Ill Health

I recently read a very interesting article that discusses the use of PrEP (pre exposure prophylaxis) to prevent HIV infection within at risk populations.  The treatment is otherwise known as the HIV prevention pill and is being considered by New York State to reduce HIV infection rates.  The idea is to have all at-risk people take the pill to prevent infection if they are exposed to the virus.  It’s a pretty clever idea and there is great science behind it.

Reading this article reminded me of a very important lesson that all employers should consider: the idea of treatment as an effective prevention tool. Let me explain…

Imagine if there was a prevention treatment that could immunize your workforce from mental illness.  Well, there is! Sort of. The most common mental health conditions in the workplace are anxiety disorders and depression.  Both of which are effectively treated by a psycho-educational approach called cognitive behavioural therapy.  And, psychologists have figured out how to deliver it via online services.  They are easy to use, low cost, and effective to help build resilience, or coping abilities.

This means that employers can help build their workforce’s immunity from stress, or improve their ability to cope at a very low cost, and minimal effort.  This will in turn help to reduce absenteeism related to mental health conditions.

Online mental health training is just one tool that you can use.  It won’t replace needed care and treatment for any of your workers who are ill, but it can help protect everyone. So why not try to prevent ill mental health occurrences before they happen? There are only benefits!

Read: How to recognize mental illness

Diana Vissers is the Founder and Director of Corporate Services at Work to Wellness Rehabilitation Inc. – a Canadian company providing expert disability management services to Canadian customers. She is in the business of making your place of business healthy, safe and productive. Follow her on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter for the latest news and updates on health, wellness and integrated disability management.