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Introduction
Mental health is an increasingly important topic in the workplace with common mental health disorders, most notably depression and anxiety, now recognized as the leading cause of sickness absence and long-term work disability in most developed countries (Moncrieff & Pomerleau, 2000; Shiels et al. 2004; Black, 2008; Harvey et al. 2009; Cattrell et al. 2011; Murray et al. 2012). The majority of common mental health conditions are treatable and in some cases preventable (Harvey & Henderson, 2009; Mykletun & Harvey, 2012). However, in spite of this, depression and anxiety continue to create significant economic, social and personal costs to employees, employers and society (National Occupational Health and Safety Commission, 2003; Knudsen et al. 2010, 2012, 2013; Harvey et al. 2011). Given these rising costs, it is not surprising that many policy makers view workplace mental health as a major public health issue and are seeking advice on the types of interventions that may be effective.
Despite the size and importance of the problem, there is remarkably limited consensus about the occupational effectiveness of various mental health interventions (Henderson et al. 2011). The majority of treatment trials for depression and anxiety disorders are focused on symptom reduction, with relatively few reporting separate occupational outcomes, in spite of the evidence that occupational recovery may follow a separate course to any symptomatic improvement (Timbie et al. 2006). As a result, it cannot be assumed that standard mental health interventions will be effective in altering occupational outcomes. In addition, there is an expansive body of research identifying a range of important work factors that may impact employee mental health, including psychosocial risk factors (such as job demands, job control, social support, organizational justice), perceived job dissatisfaction, organizational change, job insecurity and employment status (Stansfeld & Candy, 2006; Netterstrom et al. 2008; Nieuwenhuijsen et al. 2010; Ndjaboue et al. 2012). An organization hoping to improve the mental health of its employees may attempt to minimize these established risk factors. As such, workplace interventions for common mental disorders may consist of a combination of facilitating standard clinical treatments together with more specific workplace interventions.
Public health interventions are often classified as primary, secondary or tertiary prevention (Lamontagne et al. 2007; Bhui et al. 2012). Primary prevention interventions are proactive...