Handbook of Mental Health in the Workplace

Organizations need to contend with issues related to disruptive psychopathological behavior that in years past may have been swept under the rug. Also, clinicians are more aware that their clients′ mental health concerns are influenced by the workplace and that treatment without regard to what happens at work is not apt to be successful.

The Handbook of Mental Health in the Workplace explores how psychological disorders impact the ability to work and recommends treatments and their likely side effects. It is designed to give the mental health clinician, I/O psychologist, and human resources manager the information they need to determine the employee′s fitness for work and what, if any, accommodations may be needed.

The handbook is divided into five parts:

Part I: General Issues

Presents an overview of the field and outlines the legal rights and responsibilities for employees and employers.

Part II: Working Conditions, Life Stressors, and Mental Health

Presents the current research on job stress and its effects on mental health, the effects of work-family conflicts, women′s health issues, and organizational interventions for reducing stress and conflict.

Part III: Effects of Psychopathology on Work

Provides detailed descriptions of the most common forms of psychopathology that may affect the workplace.

Part IV: Effects of Disruptive Behavior at Work

Explores behavior that may not relate to standard diagnostic categories but has clear mental health implications. This includes anger and violence, poor social skills, the effects of abuse, exposure to traumatic events, passive-aggressive behavior, and grieving.

Part V: Organizational Practice and Mental Health

Presents the mental health considerations for designing organizational policy, job analysis, and accommodations for the disabled.

This handbook should prove beneficial to human resources professionals, mental health practitioners, I/O psychologists, and administrators of employee assistance programs (EAPs). Graduate students and professors in psychology and management will also find this a valuable reference.