psychological disorders at the origin of 20% of sick leave

Why do we ask for and get a work stoppage? If we exclude the Covid, it is first of all the ordinary illnesses which are at the origin of the break, in 27% of the cases. But, and this is the great novelty of the Malakoff Humanis barometer which comes out on Thursday, September 8, psychological disorders now come in second place, with 20% of arrests. They are four points ahead of the causes of sick leave that are deeply rooted in the world of work: musculoskeletal disorders. In total, the proportion of employees arrested each year is over 40%.

Another Health Insurance publication assures that, each year, one person in five is affected by a mental disorder and that mental health has become the main item of expenditure for Health Insurance, with more than 23 billion dollars spent…

They range from extreme fatigue to depression, passing through burn out. Anne-Sophie Godon, director of services at Malakoff Humanis, explains that this rise in psychological disorders has three main factors: on the one hand, an increase in psychosocial risks at work – for example harassment or lack of recognition -, on the other hand, an increase in individual fragilities, with difficult financial situations and a need to reconcile personal and professional life which is increasingly complicated to resolve and, finally, a geopolitical context and a drop in purchasing power which affects employee morale. All these reasons lead more and more often to sick leave.

One of the other points that emerges from this study is that these arrests for psychological disorders are longer than the others. According to Anne-Sophie Godon, it is because they are detected later and more difficult. There can be denial – especially when one borders on the burn out – and the day you crack, it takes weeks or even months to be able to get back to work.