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Survey digs into mental health care attitudes in construction industry

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As the pandemic continues to affect the economy and the mental health of many workers, the U.S. construction industry is experiencing the second-highest rate of suicide among all major industry sectors. However, a majority of construction leaders either say it’s either unlikely that their workers would seek needed mental health care or say they don’t know whether the workers would seek care. That’s according to a new national survey from the American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health. The survey was conducted with the Construction Financial Management Association and co-sponsored by insurance broker Holmes Murphy and construction risk management firm CSDZ. Among the key findings, 93% of all survey respondents recognize addressing mental health at work as a sound business practice, and among presidents, CEOs and owners, 77% indicated it was prioritized at work. When asked if workers were likely to seek needed mental health care, only 26% indicated they believed workers were likely to seek care, whereas nearly half did not know (43%) and nearly a third said workers were unlikely to seek care (31%). The APA Foundation’s Center for Workplace Mental Health provides tools, resources and information, and has recently issued tool kits and webinars on COVID-19 and remote work, as well as “NOTICE. TALK. ACT. at Work,” an e-learning training for managers on supporting employees’ mental health needs.