NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Her first came at a company-wide meeting, right before her scheduled presentation. Carolina Lasso had given many similar talks about her marketing team's accomplishments. When her name was called this time, she couldn鈥檛 speak.
鈥淚 felt a knot in my throat,鈥� Lasso said. 鈥淢y head, it felt like it was inside a bubble. I couldn鈥檛 hear, I couldn鈥檛 see, and it felt like an eternity. It was just a few seconds, but it was so profound, and in a way earth-shattering to me.鈥�
Lasso was struggling after a cross-country move followed by a divorce. Her boss suggested a mental health leave, a possibility she didn鈥檛 know existed. She worried whether taking would affect how her team viewed her or cost her a future promotion, but in the end she did.
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for that opportunity to take the time to heal," Lasso, 43, said. 鈥淢any people feel guilty when they take a leave of absence when it鈥檚 mental health-related. ... There is some extra weight that we carry on our shoulders, as if it had been our fault.鈥�
Despite a fear of repercussions, more adults are recognizing that stepping back from work to deal with or psychological conditions that get in the way of their lives is a necessary choice, one that a growing number of employers recognize.
ComPsych Corp., a provider of employee mental health programs and absence management services, encourages its business clients to make the well-being of workers a priority before individuals get to a breaking point while also having processes in place for those who require leaves of absence.
鈥淪ince the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, collectively we鈥檝e just been in this constant state of turmoil,鈥� Jennifer Birdsall, the senior clinical director at ComPysch, said. 鈥淲e just have had this barrage of change and uncertainty.鈥�
, and adjustment disorder, which involves excessive reactions to stress, were the top three diagnoses of employees who took mental health leaves in the past two years among clients of Alight, a Chicago-based technology company which administers leaves and benefits for large employers.
Structuring a leave
A mental health leave can last weeks or months. In some cases, workers get approval to work a reduced schedule or to take short periods of time off when needed, using an approach called 鈥渋ntermittent leave.鈥�
At most U.S. organizations with 50 or more employees, people can request leaves through the Family and Medical Leave Act. The federal law entitles workers with serious health conditions to paid or unpaid leaves of up to 12 weeks, depending on state and local laws.
Some employers require people to use sick days or accumulated vacation days to continue receiving a paycheck while out. For longer leaves, workers can access short-term disability plans, if their employer offers one.
Lasso's leave lasted six months, and included therapy and travel to India for additional treatment. She returned to her job but decided after a year to leave for good. She later launched a business to train people on fostering a more humane work culture.
A mental health leave is 鈥渘ot only OK, but it can really unlock new possibilities once we have the time to do the work 鈥� therapy, medication, whatever it is 鈥� and have enough distance from work to be able to reconnect with ourselves,鈥� Lasso said.
Talking openly about struggles
A social stigma around mental health challenges causes many people to avoid seeking treatment or requesting a leave of absence. Newton Cheng, director of health and performance at Google, hopes to change that by sharing his own struggles.
His first self-disclosure happened during the pandemic, when a senior manager invited employees at a meeting to share how they were doing. When it was his turn, Cheng started crying.
He explained he was struggling to live up to his expectations of himself as a father and didn't know how to turn things around.
鈥淚t was just totally horrifying to me because, one, I had just cried in front of my coworkers and I was definitely taught as a professional 鈥� and as a man 鈥� you do not do that," Cheng recalled. "And then two, I had never really articulated and said out loud those words. I hadn鈥檛 even allowed myself to think that. But now they鈥檙e out there and I had to face them.鈥�
Colleagues responded by relaying their own struggles, but Cheng's difficulties continued. By February 2021, he couldn't get out of bed because he felt paralyzed by dread, he said. A therapist said he was showing symptoms of major depression and anxiety.
鈥淚 just realized, 鈥業鈥檓 struggling a lot and this goes pretty deep. I don鈥檛 think I can keep just putting duct tape on this. I probably need to take some leave,鈥欌�� Cheng recalled.
Hoping his decision would benefit others, he announced to 200 people at a conference that he planned to take mental health leave. Instead of derailing the gathering as he feared, his honesty inspired fellow conference attendees to open up.
"It was like a fireworks show,鈥� Cheng said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e like, 鈥榃ow, I can鈥檛 believe he did that.鈥� Then they forgot about me. But the tone was set. It was like 鈥橭h, this is what we鈥檙e doing. Let me talk about what鈥檚 going on with me, too.'鈥�
Take the time you need
While balancing classes and a full-time job during her last year of college, Rosalie Mae began struggling to get out of bed and crying uncontrollably. Yet she felt like she had 鈥渢o keep it together鈥� to avoid burdening her colleagues at the University of Utah bookstore, where Mae worked as an accounting clerk.
Then she found herself calling a suicide hotline. 鈥淥nce it reached that point, I knew, especially at the urging of my husband, we need to do something more,鈥� Mae, 24, said.
In her case, that meant taking a five-week work leave to put her own health and well-being first. She recommends the same for others who find themselves in a similar position.
鈥淭aking a mental health leave is not necessarily a cure-all, but it is important to give yourself a break and allow yourself to regroup, make a plan of how to proceed and take the steps to work towards feeling better," Mae said.
Telling managers and colleagues
Before broaching the subject of a mental health leave with a manager, consider the workplace culture and the strength of your professional relationships, Cheng said. He recalls saying, 鈥淔or my health and well-being, and the sake of my family and what's best for the business, the least risky thing for me to do is to go on leave soon.鈥�
Individuals who suspect an unsympathetic reception can simply say, 鈥淚 need to go on medical leave. I need time to recover,鈥� he advised.
There's also no legal or ethical requirement to tell everyone you work with the nature of your leave.
鈥淵our coworkers don't need to know why,鈥� said Seth Turner, co-founder of AbsenceSoft, a leave and accommodation management solutions provider. 鈥淭hey just need to know, 'I鈥檓 going to be here at this time, and I'm going to be gone at this time, and I'll be back.'鈥�
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Have you overcome an obstacle or made a profound change in your work? Send your questions and story ideas to [email protected]. Follow AP鈥檚 Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at .
Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press
