1. Lorain County Safety Program 11/17/10 Barb Furst, MA, LICDC, CEAP, LSW Director of EAP Services Nord Center EAP

2.  More Americans suffer from depression than coronary heart disease, cancers and AIDS combined  Usually affects women  Onset occurs most often between ages 15-30  1in 14 employees will suffer from depression at some point in their work career  Different types of depression, inc. Bipolar, SAD ◦ Sources: Working Minds, CDC

3. Productivity Increased absenteeism Increased accidents Increased use of short term disability Increased use of medical benefits Chronic physical complaints Competitiveness

4.  Changes in mood  Decrease self esteem and self worth  Loss of pleasure  Sleep and appetite changes  Motivation and energy level changes  Social withdrawal  “Unreasonable” Guilt  Decrease in concentration (creativity, innovation, information processing)  Talking about suicide or suicidal gestures  Ongoing sadness

5. Lorain County Suicides by Age Group Year <=12 13 – 18 19 – 25 26 – 35 36 – 50 51 – 65 66 + 2009 0 0 1 0 7 2 1 2008 0 4 0 6 13 7 2 2007 0 0 2 5 10 9 5 Total 0 4 3 11 30 18 8 L.C. =Lower than the national average L.C. =Ranked 66th out of 88 counties Source: Ohio Department of Health

6.  Greater chance for homicide than suicide in the workplace  More than one-fourth of suicides in the workplace were between ages 35-44  94% were men  78% were Caucasian  Highest Risk Occupations - Management Sales & related positions Production  “Relative Risk” Occupations – Police & Detectives Military Farmers / Agriculture  30% were self employed -2008 Bureau of Labor Statistics

7.  History of depression and mental illness  History of alcohol or drug abuse  Family history of depression and suicide  History of previous suicide attempts  Stressful life events or loss Job loss Financial difficulties Marital problems Dissatisfaction with the job Trouble with coworker and/or supervisor Excessive stress & feelings of powerlessness  Easy access to lethal means  Exposure to suicidal behavior of others (“Copy Cat”) Source: CDC

8.  55% Firearms  20% Suffocation/Asphyxiation (by hanging)  17% Poisoning / toxicity  6% Unspecified  2% Cutting Source: www.WorkingMinds.org

9.  Policies & Procedures addressing conduct and workplace violence  Provide education and training for ALL levels of the workplace (health fairs, brown bag seminars, literature)  Identify internal advocates or referral mechanisms inc. HR, Share Nurses, Safety Rep  Greater awareness of your EAP  List of community resources  Provide Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Services (CISD)

10.  Nord Center Emergency Hotline # 1-800-888-6161 24/7  National Suicide Prevention Hotline # 1-800-273-TALK 24/7  Check your insurance plan for MH/Substance Abuse providers  PCP