Loss of work due to mental illness higher than ever

Created: 03/02/2022, 16:18

By: Isabel Wetzel

The number of sick leave due to mental illness is rising to a new high.

The most common cause is depression.

(symbol photo) © Sina Schuldt/dpa

The corona pandemic is putting a heavy strain on people – especially at work.

Loss due to mental illness is reaching a new high.

Berlin – Loss of work due to mental illness rose to a new record in 2021.

This is reported by the DAK-Gesundheit.

As the health insurance company announced on Wednesday (March 2nd, 2022) in Berlin, the level of 276 days of absence per 100 insured persons was 41 percent higher than ten years ago.

According to the health insurance fund, the data of 2.4 million insured employees was evaluated for the Psychreport of DAK-Gesundheit.

"Our report shows that many people with mental illnesses are suffering extremely from the ongoing stress of the pandemic," explained DAK CEO Andreas Storm.

“Those affected are currently finding it more difficult to get back to their everyday work.” This has a lot to do with the special working conditions under Corona.

Mental health in the pandemic: Most absences due to depression

The most common reason for taking sick leave was depression.

In addition to the external circumstances, one reason for this can also be the disease itself.

An Oxford study had already shown at the beginning of the pandemic that mental illnesses occur more frequently after corona infections.

The strongest growth was in adjustment disorders and anxiety disorders - that was an increase of around 16 percent since 2019. That was true for men and women alike.

According to the study, the duration of psychological sick leave cases rose to a new high: the insured were almost 40 days absent on average.

Mental stress from Corona: Women and healthcare workers are particularly affected

According to the report, women aged 55 and over recorded by far the highest rates of increase among all employees during the corona pandemic*.

For 55 to 59 year olds, there were a total of 511 days of absence for every 100 insured persons, 14 percent more than before Corona.

According to the DAK, healthcare workers were particularly hard hit last year.

According to the report, they were absent significantly more often because of mental illnesses than, for example, employees in retail or banks.

In the healthcare sector, there were around 44 percent more lost days due to mental illness than the average for all sectors examined.

(Iwe with dpa/AFP)

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