Medicine, commerce and administration, the jobs most affected by mental health impairment

Spain kicked off 2023 with a new record for mental health-related sick leave. In total, doctors determined 600,814 temporary disabilities due to mental and behavioral disorders classified by the National Institute of Social Security (INSS), according to data obtained by this newspaper after requesting information from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. Protected by transparency law. “As a society we are more aware of the importance of mental health.”Isabel Aranda, doctor in organizational and voice psychology from the Official Psychology College of Madrid, explains.

In just twelve months, the number of these losses has increased by 14% compared to the previous record in 2022. According to data from the ministry led by Elma Saez, three professional branches accumulate almost half of them. A total of 243,401 casualties occurred in medical, commercial and administrative activities. “These are the professions that have the highest psychosocial risks and where one has to deal with clients, patients and there is also a risk of violence”Highlighted Ana García de la Torre, Secretary of Occupational Health of the UGT.

In a report conducted by Mutual Medica, this organization has revealed that medical leave due to mental health increased by 247% among doctors last year. “Increased pressure and stress can be a major trigger for mental health problems”The text warns.

Although health professionals accumulate more temporary disabilities, it is those employees who perform administrative work and support services who file the most sick leave due to busy workers. Specifically, there are 61 casualties for every 1,000 employed workers in this professional branch., Secondly, health professionals have a ratio of 45 mental health-related temporary disabilities per thousand employed. “We have to take care of the people who take care of us,” warns María Isabel Moya, first vice-president of the General Council of Physicians (CGCOM). “The statistics are very worrying and the number of professionals affected by stress, anxiety and sleep disorders has increased significantly in recent years.”He shed light.

In all these cases, these medical leaves are not classified as an occupational disease, but rather as a common disease., “The harm it causes, because if the occupational origin of illnesses or accidents is not identified, the harm it causes in terms of economic benefits to the victim is minor,” a UGT union spokesperson condemned. “It’s also a loss for their partnersBecause preventive mechanisms are not active and occupational exposure still exists, they may also fall ill,” he added.

with a woman’s name

Mental health disorders affect the entire population, but their impact is uneven. More than half of the medical holidays scheduled for 2023 had a woman named in them. “Something that has to do with horizontal separation, job insecurity, long hours, job insecurity”Ana Garcia de la Torre replied.

According to the OSH Eurobarometer report conducted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, “Women are more affected by excessive time pressure and workload (48% compared to 44% of male respondents), as well as violence or verbal abuse by customers, patients, students, etc. (19% vs. 13% of male respondents).”

While the gender gap remains unchanged over time, the problem gets worse at the generational level. “Generation Z is more aware of these issues, but as you get older you learn to keep some of the problems in perspective. According to INSS data, since January 2019, sick leave due to mental health is what most The biggest increase is among youth, people between 16 and 25 years of age. This ratio is 46 casualties per 1,000 employed youth, while for the remaining age groups it is around 20 and 35 per thousand employees.,

This figure skyrockets when tracking the number of working women between the ages of 16 and 25; In this category, 66 medical leaves related to mental health are given for every thousand employed in these years.

Globally, 12 billion days of work is lost due to anxiety and depression. In Spain, the average duration of these sick leaves, according to data to which this newspaper has access, is 111 days and this causes the economy to lose 4.2% of GDP. “We know these are long sick days that can last up to a year,” Refers to Aranda.

However, this psychologist says the important thing is to raise awareness that these health problems are important. “If you have knee pain you go to a specialist and if it’s mental health related you have to do the same.” This does not mean going crazy, ”says the member of the Madrid College of Psychology.