Addressing Mental Health: Instituting Depression Awareness Programs

We as a society have neglected depression awareness and are paying the price. The Virginia Tech shootings of over a year ago remain fresh in all of our minds. You may ask what is the cost of developing depression awareness programs? In return you may want to consider at what value to you place the life of the person you love and care about the most. I say this because that could be the life you may be saving, if not your own.

What would these programs be about?
Awareness is about prevention and early detection. It is no different than teaching women's breast cancer awareness. Todays lifestyle with the ever increasing demands and pressures make depression awareness a necessary daily tool for living.

How can this be cost effective?
In turn I ask you how cost effect is preserving the quality of life for your spouse, mother, father or child? How cost effective is it lose work time due to depression whether suffered by you or a loved one? What price do you put on holding your lover gently knowing they are sharing in the moment and not lost in a cloud of depression? What is a cost of a funeral that could have been prevented?

Affording a depression awareness program.
An employer can fund a depression awareness program for less than the cost of one employee sick day. Insurance companies could provide free seminars live and online. Since mental health is linked with physical health preventive measures could result in reduction of benefit payouts. Schools can devote a segment a year in biology and health classes on depression and stress management. The materials can be supplied at very little or no cost by mental health organizations. Additional education can be received at no cost online. In short versus the consequences a depression awareness program over time pays for itself by reducing long term illness and medical cost.