Emotional Fallout from a Foundering Economy

We refer people to other agencies that offer employment resources and temporary financial assistance. Sometimes just knowing that they’re being proactive in fixing their situation is enough to make people feel better."

For the unemployed and under-employed, Lee Mental Health accepts payment on a sliding-fee scale, based on their ability to pay. "We don’t turn people away because of their inability to pay," explains McNally. However, smaller budgets and increased requests for services might lead to longer wait times, or referrals to other agencies.

"The sky is not falling, but it is dark," says McNally. "All local service agencies are trying to pull together to make sure people are served."

David Lawrence Center, Lee Mental Health and similar agencies are available to all, regardless of income, realtor Adelman points out. "People have a tendency to suffer in silence," she says. "They are quietly, painfully and individually trying to deal with their situations. But help is available, and it doesn’t have to cost a small fortune

Publicly funded community mental health facilities in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties provide information and treatment for substance abuse or mental health problems at discounted fees."

Where to Turn
• Charlotte Behavioral Health Care, Punta Gorda, (941) 639-8300, www.ccmhs.org
• David Lawrence Center, Naples, 455-8500, www.davidlawrencecenter.org
• Lee Mental Health Inc., Fort Myers, 275-3222, www.leementalhealth.org
• Southwest Florida Addiction Services, Fort Myers, 332-6937, www.swfas.org
• United Way 211: Dial 211 for assistance and referral

Tales from Two Employers
Chris Sereno sees a lot of substance abuse in restaurants compared with other industries.

"People work around [alcohol] in this business. You work a 15-hour day of frustrations and you go to sit down, and there it is," he says.

Between his Naples restaurant and a seasonal inn and restaurant up North, he employs close to 150 people. He doesn’t help all of them who need it. He has to see that they care enough to want the help—like one he was recently dealing with.

Rumor had it the employee was involved with drugs, and Sereno was determined to help straighten the person out.

"I’m a pretty good judge of character," he says, and he can spot it early on by their attitude. They aren’t the ones who show up in "16 earrings and a torn shirt they don’t clean," he says.

"Nobody’s perfect," Sereno says. "If you’re waiting for that perfect employee, good luck. Everybody has their issues [and some] just have that gene. I’d rather work with somebody like that than somebody who just doesn’t care."

For Roger Mann, the case of the pool tech was one of the happier outcomes. His company probably wouldn’t have lost the account had the former tech not been drinking on the job.

In other cases, his efforts have failed, and he has had to fire people because the work isn’t getting done, or they’re putting the business and other employees at risk.
He’s had several employees dealing with depression, often amid a host of other problems—spousal abuse, single parents with child problems, housing problems, debts, physical illness. At his urging, one of those got help, but then had continuing performance problems. "I wound up firing her with my arm around her shoulder," he says.

Another employee who was drinking on the job denied there was a problem when confronted by Mann. He couldn’t take the risk of a drunken employee, especially one behind the wheel, and had to fire that person.

Knowing where to turn is one of the challenges, he says. "An employee-assistance program wouldn’t exist in a company our size," he says. The company’s health insurance plan is "bare bones," he says, and he’s found scarce resources in Southwest Florida—especially for those with small incomes and large problems.

"I’ve known so many people [with depression]," he adds. "It’s very prevalent and people who suffer from it need to know they’re not rare and unusual."

A peer endured depression for some 20 years because of the stigma, says Mann. He didn’t want it in his records and he was embarrassed. His biggest mistake, he told Mann: not getting help 20 years sooner.