Mental Illness Costs Canadian Economy $51 Billion a Year

Mental illness causes more lost work days in Canada than any other condition, costing the economy $51 billion a year in lost productivity, according to a study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

The study found that mental health leave on average costs double that of leave for a physical illness. The cost of a company for one employee on short-term disability due to mental health is nearly $18,000, it said.

"In an average year, a firm with 1,000 employees might expect about 145 disability cases,” said Carolyn Dewa, head of CAMH’s Work and Well-Being Research and Evaluation Programme. “Of this, only a fraction are on disability due to mental illness, yet it costs employers the most."

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