Record number of days absent due to mental illness in Brandenburg

According to an evaluation by the DAK health insurance fund, employees in Brandenburg have never been absent due to mental illness as often as in 2022. Last year, there were 328 days of absence due to mental illness per 100 DAK-insured persons in the state, as the health insurance fund reports in its "Psychreport". In 2021 it had been 314, ten years ago only 220 days. In a ten-year comparison, the number of days of absence increased by around 49 percent.

The new high is worrisome, DAK state director Anke Grubitz said, according to the release. "In addition, younger adults are increasingly missing work at the beginning of their working lives because of these diseases."

A sick leave due to mental illness in Brandenburg lasted an average of 32 days, according to the evaluation. Among women, depression caused the most days of absence, 173 days per 100 insured, while among men, stress and adjustment disorders were the most common reason for absence from work (68 days of absence per 100 insured).

Employees in the health care sector have significantly more days of absence due to mental illness than other occupational groups. Here, there were 534 days of absence per 100 DAK-insured persons - around 63 percent more than across all sectors. Mechanical engineering, plant construction and vehicle manufacturing followed with 497 days of absence per 100 insured persons.

For the regional "Psychreport", the IGES Institute evaluated the data of 110,000 employees insured with the DAK in Brandenburg, according to the health insurance company. In total, around 250,000 people are insured with the health insurance company in the state.

Photo by Gadiel Lazcano