Behavioral Health Could Be Affecting your Employee’s Recovery

Recovering from a work-related injury can take a toll on some employees, but there is more than just the injury itself at play. In the article Behavioral Health Linked to Workers’ Comp Recovery: Study by Jahna Jacobson, they discuss the role that a worker’s mental health can play in the recovery time after a work-related injury.  The article mentions a few different medical papers, and studies that show a correlation between mental health, and recovery time for a workplace injury. With so many adults having diagnosed mental health concerns, the Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation suggests that 3 to 10 percent of workplace injuries have a delayed recovery that has something to do with a behavioral issue. Some of the issues that can delay an employee’s recovery are things like poor recovery expectation, fear of re-injury, job dissatisfaction, low motivation, lack of support, and perceived injustice. With mental health being a big factor in a worker’s recovery, employers can take certain steps to reduce this impact, and minimize the effect on their employees. Jacobson writes that educating patients, teaching self-management strategies, and referring workers to behavioral health specialists are some ways to help speed up and ease employee recovery. Early mental health intervention can also be used as a prevention method if something does end up happening to an employee, they can feel supported.

Learn more about behavioral health and recovery time here:

Jacobson, J. (2022, August 30). Behavioral health linked to workers' comp recovery: Study. Insurance Journal. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2022/08/30/682655.htm