OBJECTIVE: Employers provide most American mental health benefits and are 
increasingly cost conscious. However, commonplace anxiety and depressive 
disorders have enormous economic and workplace performance costs.
METHODS: We performed multiple literature searches on several areas of pertinent 
research (and on key articles) covering the past 5 years.
RESULTS: Substantial research exists about anxiety and depression costs, such as 
performance and productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, disability, physical 
disability exacerbation, mental health treatment, increased medical care costs, 
exacerbating of physical illness, and studies of mental health care limitations 
and cost-offset. Research addressing the potential value of higher quality 
mental health care is limited.
CONCLUSIONS: Commonplace anxiety and depressive disorders are costly in the 
workplace. Employers and researchers remain largely unaware of the value of 
quality care and psychiatric skills. Effective solutions involve the increased 
use of psychiatric skills and appropriate treatment.