Mental Health Summit

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November 27, 2008 - Sutton Place hotel

Event Agenda

Theme: Mental Health – A Workplace Guide

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.	Registration and Breakfast
8:30 – 8:45 a.m.	Opening Remarks
8:45 – 9:30 a.m.	Session 1: Introduction to Mental Illness and Depression Approximately one in eight individuals may require treatment for depression during their lifetimes, but less than one third of them seek help. Depression is a chronic disorder leading to severe impairments in social and functional well-being. It is associated with a high level of disability and constitutes a significant economic burden in Canada, estimated at $6 billion per annum. By 2020, the World Health Organization has predicted that major depression will be second only to ischemic heart disease as a cause of disability, ahead of such common problems as infectious diseases, cancer, and accidents. This presentation will provide an overview of the epidemiology of depression, what it looks like, the causes, and who is at risk. The importance of early detection, and appropriate intervention options will also be discussed. Presenter: Dr. Roger S. McIntyre, Head, Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Toronto University Health Network [Download the presentation]
9:30 – 10:15 a.m.	Session 2: Depression at Work: Recognition and Response Depression at work often goes unrecognized or is misunderstood; resulting in unmitigated impairment, delay in treatment-seeking, and increased risk for total disability. The signs and symptoms of a depression, as it manifests in a workplace setting, will be reviewed. Cases studies will highlight skills needed to improve recognition and delineation of health-related impairment from common performance-related issues. For employees, practical recommendations will be provided to facilitate management of a common health problem affecting workforces today. Presenter: Dr. Ash Bender, MD, FRCPC, Staff Psychiatrist, Deputy Clinical Director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) [Download the presentation]
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.	Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:15 a.m.	Session 3: Early Detection Programs Presenter: Gerry Smith, Vice-President, Organizational Health and Training, Shepell-fgi [Download the presentation]
11:15 – 12:00 p.m.	Session 4: Diagnosing and Improving the Health of Organizations: The Importance of Workplace Health & Productivity The presenters will review the key findings of Watson Wyatt's 2007 Staying@Work Survey and use the H&P Scorecard to show attendees how their survey responses compare to those of a "healthy organization". The presenters will also illustrate how a collaborative approach to employee health, particularly mental health, can improve productivity while being cost-effective. Presenters: Karen DeBortoli, Director, Canadian Research & Innovation Centre and Glenn Carmen, Senior Consultant, Group & Health Care Practice, Watson Wyatt Worldwide [Download the presentation]
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.	Lunch
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.	Session 5: Dealing with Mental Illness in the Workplace 5A: Mental Health: Make it your Business Mental health concerns, particularly depression, are increasingly the source of substantial loss of productivity and increased disability amongst Canadian workers. This session will provide an overview of the nature and impact of depression in the workplace, emphasize the pivotal role of the organization in taking timely and appropriate action, and describe practical tools and programs for employers and employees to help address depressive symptoms and associated loss of functioning. Presenters: Sandy McLeod, Director, Human Resources, CHRP, Desjardins Financial Security Michele Nowski, Director, Disability Department, Desjardins Financial Security [Download the presentation] 5B: From Awareness to Action in Workplace Mental Health Over the last decade, there has been increasing awareness of the cost of mental health problems in the workplace -- suffering and disability for individual employees, productivity loss for businesses. A wide range of organizations have worked to raise awareness in employers, policymakers and the public of key issues in workplace mental health, leading to prominent media coverage and policy focus upon this area. But the time has come to move from awareness to action: we must intervene to improve mental health in the workplace. This will demand innovative projects consistent with accepted criteria for high-quality health interventions: effective, accessible, efficient and feasible for widespread dissemination. In line with this priority, a workplace mental health research team at Simon Fraser University, the Consortium for Organizational Mental Health (COMH), has been developing innovative interventions to enhance workplace mental health. This presentation will explain these interventions, how they were developed and their potential for enhancing workplace mental health, in a cost-effective way. Presenter: Dr. Joti Samra, R. Psych., Scientist, Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & Addiction, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University [Download the presentation] 5C: Stress, Burnout, Depression: What’s the Difference? What’s the Answer? This presentation will examine the important distinctions between these three conditions from an insurer’s point of view. It will look at the medical and non-medical causes that impact the condition; and the role managers, organization culture, and health and benefit providers can play in preventing and managing these conditions. Presenter: Judith Plotkin, Vice-President, Business Development, Wilson Banwell PROACT Human Solutions [Download the presentation]
2:30 – 3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.	Session 6: Mental Illness at Work – A “Go-To” Guide for Managers Managers face a myriad of challenges when dealing with mood disorders in the workplace. This session will profile the resources that are available to employers to learn more about: mental illness, its signs and symptoms; sorting out who’s who in the mental health mosaic; the roles and responsibilities in managing a mentally ill employee; how to reach out to those struggling; and how, as managers, you can support the process of recovery. Attendees will leave this session better equipped and aware of what relevant tools and training are available to them and how to promote a holistic, comprehensive approach to good mental health in the workplace. Presenter: Karen Liberman, Executive Director, The Mood Disorders Association of Ontartio [Download the presentation]
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.	Session 7: Keynote Session A Comprehensive Strategy for Preventing and Managing Depression in the Workplace Five of the ten leading causes of disability and premature death worldwide are psychiatric conditions and unipolar depression is the leading cause of work disability in Canada. Despite efforts to improve treatment quality, it is estimated that only 15% to 30% of those with depression currently receive even minimally adequate care. As a result, the burden of disease from this disorder is steadily increasing. In the workplace that means more lost productivity from both absenteeism and presenteeism, rising benefit costs and greater employee turnover. Efforts are underway across Canada to introduce a chronic care model into the primary care system in order to improve the quality of care for all chronic conditions, including depression. This transformation of primary care will take some time and in the meantime the impact of depression in the workplace is worsening. Confronted with this growing problem and no immediate clinical solution, it is important that Employers take action to mitigate the impact of depression in their workforces. This session will describe the components of a comprehensive and integrated workplace depression strategy to address this significant workplace health threat. Presenter: Dr. T. Larry Myette, BSc (Pharm), MD, MPH, DABPM, CIME, Director and Occupational Medicine Consultant, Strategic Workplace Health, Healthcare Benefit Trust [Download the presentation]
4:30 – 4:45 p.m.	Closing Remarks
4:45 p.m.	Cocktail Reception

For more agenda information contact Cindy Mark at 416-764-3964 or cindy.mark@rci.rogers.com