Tech companies receive low marks on mental health

I work in tech and I've struggled with anxiety since I was seven years old. In my teens, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and ADHD. In my twenties, I was hospitalized for depression a handful of times, then finally diagnosed with C-PTSD a few years ago. I hope for my data visualization work to contribute to normalizing more open discourse around these subjects.

A streamgraph--a variation on an area chart--is particularly well-suited for this data because we can see two insights simultaneously: first, tech workers' perceptions of their employers' level of support for their mental health did not improve over time. Second, participation in the Open Sourcing Mental Health survey declined drastically over five years.

According to SAMHSA, the U.S. had one death by suicide every 11 minutes in 2020, and suicide is a leading cause of death for people aged 10-34 years of age.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and are located in the U.S., dial 988 for support at any time, or if you prefer to chat, visit the 988 Lifeline website.

Tools: RAWGraphs, Adobe Illustrator

Data: Open Sourcing Mental Health (OSMH)