Depression and anxiety cause the annual loss of 12,000 million working days

Depression and anxiety cause a loss of 12,000 million working days each year, causing losses of almost a trillion dollars to the global economy, highlight two new publications recently launched by the World Health Organization and the International Organization of the Worked.

Faced with this situation, both UN agencies have called for the adoption of concrete measures to address mental health problems in the workplace.

Global guidelines from the World Health Organization recommend a series of measures to address risks associated with mental health, such as heavy workloads, negative behaviors and other factors that generate distress at work.

For the first time, the health agency recommends training managers to learn how to avoid stressful work environments and care for workers who feel distressed.

A recent Global Mental Health Report revealed that of the one billion people living with a mental disorder in 2019, 15% of working-age adults experienced these symptoms. The work exacerbates larger social issues that negatively affect mental health, such as discrimination and inequality.

Depression and anxiety cause the annual loss of 12,000 million working days. (Photo: Amazings/NCYT)

It’s still taboo

Intimidation and psychological violence, also known as mobbing, is one of the main causes of workplace harassment that has a negative impact on mental health. However, discussing or disclosing mental health issues remains taboo in workplaces around the world.

The guidance also recommends better ways to address the needs of workers with mental health problems, proposes actions to support their return to work and, in the case of severe symptoms, offers measures to facilitate return to paid employment.

“The time has come to pay attention to the detrimental effects that work can have on our mental health,” said the director general of the World Health Organization.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that “the well-being of the individual is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating effect on a person’s performance and productivity. These new guidelines can help prevent negative work situations and cultures, and offer much-needed mental health protection and support for workers.”

Invest in a safe and healthy work environment

The second document, jointly produced, explains the World Health Organization’s guidelines through concrete strategies for governments, employers and workers, and their organizations, in the public and private sectors.

Its objective is to support the prevention of risks caused by mental health, their protection and improvement at work, and to support the participation and development of people who suffer from these symptoms in the workplace. For the application of these strategies it is indicated that investment and leadership will be essential.

“As people spend much of their lives at work, a safe and healthy work environment is essential. We need to invest in building a culture of prevention for mental health at work, reforming the work environment to end stigma and social exclusion, and ensure employees with mental health conditions feel protected and supported,” said International Labor Organization Director-General Guy Ryder.

As an example, COVID-19 caused a 25% increase in cases of anxiety and depression worldwide, a fact that showed the lack of preparation of governments to deal with the impact of the disease on mental health and which also revealed the chronic shortage of resources to combat it globally.

Throughout 2020, governments around the world only spent an average of 2% of health budgets on mental health, with lower-middle income countries spending less than 1%.

The ILO Convention on Safety and Health at Work (number 155) and Recommendation (number 164) provide a legal framework to protect the health and safety of workers. However, the WHO Mental Health Atlas found that only 35% of countries reported having national work-related mental health promotion and prevention programmes. (Font: UN News)