Mental Health with Wellnest

by Charlene Dimas-Peinado

As a convener of thought leaders throughout Southern California, we are pleased to welcome Charlene Dimas-Peinado, President and CEO of Wellnest, a nationally acclaimed and leading provider of emotional health and wellness services, Chair of the Chamber’s Nonprofit Council, and member of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Board, as the guest author of this week’s Business Perspective.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a national movement to raise awareness, reduce stigma, provide support, educate the public, and advocate for policies which support people with mental health challenges and their families.

Mental health is simply defined as “state of well-being in which you realize your own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and make a contribution to your community.” It knows no geographic, socioeconomic, age, gender or ethnic boundaries, and it can impact anyone, anywhere, at any point.

Even as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all still grappling with a turbulent range of emotions caused by this unprecedented social, health, and economic crisis but also due to recent events in our communities. Our overwhelming concern for our health, safety, and that of our loved ones, has created a strain with serious implications for our mental health.

Prior to COVID-19, estimates were that some 450 million people worldwide suffered from a mental health condition at any given moment and 16 million U.S. adults had at least one major depressive episode in the previous year. 

These needs skyrocketed with the pressures of COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found, during the pandemic: 

• 41% of US adults experienced COVID-19-related mental health issues  
• 75% of young adults (18 to 24) experienced a mental health issue 
• Women were 1.5 times more likely than men to report mental health as a challenge 

Additionally, research has consistently found that women and men leave their companies at comparable rates, but due to COVID-19 stresses, including home schooling and lack of child care, as many as two million women are now considering leaving the workforce. Studies show a company’s profits and share performance can be close to 50% higher when women are well represented at executive-level positions, making this a tremendous potential loss to our nation’s economy.

Pre-COVID-19 research demonstrated that companies prioritizing health, safety, and wellness saw positive returns, and Wellnest has long championed healthy communities. Together we must build further awareness and give mental health the equal standing it deserves alongside physical health.

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