Effect of declining mental health service use on employees of a large corporation

Abstract

This study examines concurrent changes in use of mental and general health services and in annual sick days among 20,814 employees of a large corporation. From 1993 to 1995 mental health service use and costs declined by more than one-third, more than three times as much as the decline in non-mental health service use. However, employees who used mental health services showed a 37 percent increase in use of non-mental health services and significantly increased sick days, whereas other employees showed no such increases. Savings in mental health services were fully offset by increased use of other services and lost workdays.