Mental illness costs Germany 17.2 billion euros
More and more employees in Germany are unable to work due to mental illness. Over the past 20 years, the number of sick days resulting from this has more than doubled. The economic costs are enormous.
Mental illness in the world of work has continued to grow in importance over the past year: The number of days of sickness or incapacity to work (AU) among employees due to mental illness and behavioral disorders rose to a high of 132 million days in 2022, as reported by the "Rheinische Post". It cites an answer from the Federal Ministry of Labor to a small question from the Left Party.
In 2021, there were still 126 million such days of absence. According to the newspaper, the number of days of sickness or incapacity to work due to mental illness in 2022 was more than twice as high as 20 years earlier. In 2002, the health insurance companies had only registered 61 million such sick days.
"Incapacity to work due to mental and behavioral disorders remains at a high level," the ministry reportedly stated. In addition to the consequences of current crises such as the corona pandemic, the causes are "also suspected to be the increasing openness in dealing with mental illness". The ministry also referred to "new stress requirements" due to changes in the world of work, such as digitalization, demographic change and a shortage of skilled workers.
Left party pushes for "anti-stress regulation"
While the number of sick days due to mental illness among women rose by 2.7 percent to 77 million compared to the previous year, it increased by 7.8 percent to 55 million among men, the newspaper continued. At 32 days, the average time lost due to mental and behavioral disorders was at a similarly high level as in the previous year. This is almost three times as high as the duration of absence for all diagnosis groups (eleven days).
According to the ministry's response, the number of sick days due to mental illness is above average in the healthcare sector, in public administration and in schools and daycare centers. At 42 percent, a large proportion of early retirements due to reduced earning capacity are also attributable to mental stress.
According to the report, the economic costs of mental and behavioral disorders will also reach an all-time high in 2022. At 17.2 billion euros, the costs of lost production exceeded the previous year's figure by 8.9 percent.
"The German government must finally take action, spend money and take concrete measures to break the vicious cycle of overwork and staff shortages," Left Party politician Susanne Ferschl told the Rheinische Post newspaper. The Left Party is therefore calling for "an anti-stress regulation, comprehensive occupational health and safety checks and staffing limits."
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Source: www.ntv.de
