The Real Cost of Untreated Depression in Your Workforce
Depression doesn't show up as a line item, which is exactly why it's so expensive. It hides inside other numbers - sick days, missed deadlines, disability claims, turnover - and by the time it surfaces on a spreadsheet, it has already cost far more than treating it would have.
Where the cost hides
Untreated depression drives four cost streams. Absenteeism: more sick days and leave. Presenteeism: employees at their desks but operating at a fraction of capacity - usually the largest and least-measured cost. Disability: mental health is now a leading driver of short- and long-term disability claims. Turnover: people who can't get well leave, and replacement runs a large fraction of salary.
Why "we offer an EAP" doesn't cap the cost
Because an EAP supports but doesn't treat clinical depression. The cost keeps accruing during the months an employee waits for real care. The spend that stops the bleed is medical treatment that starts fast - every week of delay is more presenteeism and higher disability risk.
The reframe
The question isn't "what does treatment cost?" It's "what is not treating already costing us?" For most employers, the untreated bill dwarfs the treated one - it's just harder to see. Naming it is the first step to controlling it.
CorpCARE turns an invisible, uncontrolled cost into a fast, measurable intervention. Ask us to model it against your own claims data.
Sources
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. "The Mental Health Crisis Is Real" (economic burden of mental illness in Canada; disability leave costs). https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/the-crisis-is-real
- Evans-Lacko, S. & Knapp, M. "Global patterns of workplace productivity for people with depression: absenteeism and presenteeism costs across eight diverse countries." Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27667656/
- Deloitte Insights. "The ROI in Workplace Mental Health Programs: Good for People, Good for Business." 2019. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/workplace-mental-health-programs-worker-productivity.html