Mental Health Crisis Costs Louisiana Workers $12.6 Billion!
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Study Estimates Mental Health, Substance Use Issues Cost Louisiana Workers $12.6 Billion Over Five Years
Mental health and substance use challenges may have cost Louisiana workers an estimated $12.6 billion in lost income over the past five years according to a nationwide survey examining how these issues affect employees’ ability to work
The estimates come from a survey conducted by RenaissanceRecovery.com, a national association of addiction and mental health treatment providers
The survey gathered responses from 3,002 employees across the United States and focused on income losses tied to time off work reduced hours or disrupted employment related to mental health or substance use conditions
Nationally 41 percent of respondents said a mental health or substance use issue had affected their ability to work Among those individuals respondents reported losing an average of 16 percent of their income over a five-year period Based on those responses researchers estimated an average income loss of $10,968 per affected worker which was then extrapolated to calculate a nationwide economic impact exceeding $1.15 trillion over five years
Louisiana Impact
For Louisiana survey-based estimates suggest workers lost an average of $9,136 per person over the same five-year span When applied across the state’s workforce researchers calculated a total estimated income impact of $12,645,561,311
The survey found variation among states Massachusetts workers experienced the highest estimated losses averaging $14,050 per worker while Mississippi workers reported lower estimated losses averaging $7,698
Lack of Awareness About Medical Leave
The study also highlighted widespread confusion about federal medical leave protections Fewer than half of respondents — 46 percent — said they were aware that federal law allows eligible employees to take job-protected leave for mental health or substance use treatment
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act eligible workers may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave for serious health conditions including mental health and substance use treatment However awareness of the law remains limited Only 38 percent of respondents said they were very familiar with the law while 27 percent said they had heard of it but did not know the details Another 16 percent said they had never heard of it
When asked which situations qualified for protected medical leave respondents were far more likely to select physical illness or injury (31 percent) or surgery and recovery (30 percent) Only 15 percent identified mental health treatment as qualifying and just 3 percent recognized substance use treatment as eligible
Fear and Financial Pressure
Among respondents who said they continued working despite mental health or substance use struggles the most common reasons cited were fear of job loss (22 percent) not knowing leave was an option (18 percent) and being unable to afford unpaid time off (15 percent)
More than 56 percent of respondents said they had minimized or concealed the real reason they needed time off while 43 percent said they would be more comfortable citing a physical illness than a mental health condition
The consequences of delaying care were significant Nearly 61 percent of respondents said continuing to work instead of taking leave made their condition worse and 42 percent reported long-term career impacts such as missed opportunities slowed advancement or leaving a job entirely On average respondents estimated losing $10,457 in income due to delayed treatment or ongoing struggles
Call for Greater Awareness
Researchers noted that improving mental health outcomes in the workplace may depend on better education and clearer communication about existing protections
"What this data shows is that many workers aren’t just struggling with their mental health — they’re struggling with uncertainty fear and misinformation" said Alina Nejadian LMFT clinical director for Renaissance Recovery "When people don’t understand their rights or don’t trust that they will be protected they delay care hide their struggles and often make their situation worse"
The survey’s findings suggest that greater awareness of medical leave protections and more supportive workplace cultures could help reduce both personal hardship and broader economic losses tied to untreated mental health and substance use challenges
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