The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization have called for concrete action to address the mental health problems of the working population.
An estimated 12 billion working days are lost each year due to depression and anxiety, costing the global economy nearly $ 1 trillion. Today, two new publications are released to address this issue: the WHO Guidelines on Mental Health at Work and a policy document derived from the WHO and the ILO.
The WHO global guidelines on mental health at work recommend actions to address mental health risks such as heavy workloads, negative behaviors and other stressors at work. For the first time, the organization recommends training managers to develop their ability to prevent stressful work environments and meet the needs of struggling workers.
shown Global Mental Health Report Released by the organization and published in June 2022, there were 15% of working-age adults suffering from a mental disorder out of one billion people suffering from mental disorders in 2019. Work aggravates and spreads social problems widely. scale a adversely affects mental health, including discrimination and injustice. Bullying and psychological violence (also known as “harassment”) are the main complaints of workplace harassment and have a negative impact on mental health. But discussing or exposing mental health remains taboo in workplaces around the world.
The guidelines also recommend better ways to address the needs of workers with mental health problems, suggesting interventions to help them return to work and implementing interventions that facilitate the engagement of those with severe mental health problems in a paid employment. Above all, the Guidelines provide for the implementation of interventions to protect workers both in the areas of the health sector, humanitarian activities and emergencies.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said: “It is time to focus on the damaging impact that work can have on our mental health. An individual’s well-being is reason enough to act, but the deterioration of the mental health can also have the effect of undermining a person’s performance and productivity. These new guidelines can help prevent exposure to negative attitudes and cultures at work and provide the active population with mental health protection and support. much needed “.
An independent and joint ILO and ILO policy paper has been published that clarifies the ILO’s guidelines for practical strategies for governments, employers, workers and their related organizations in the public and private sectors, with the aim of supporting efforts to prevent, protect and improve mental health risks in the workplace, Support those suffering from mental health problems so that they can participate in the world of work and develop their skills, knowing that it is essential make investments and take a leadership role in implementing these strategies.
Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labor Organization, said: “As people spend most of their lives at work, creating a safe and healthy work environment for them is essential and we must make the investments necessary to build a culture. that protects them from mental health problems at work, reshaping the work environment to eliminate stigma and social exclusion and ensuring that employees with mental health problems feel protected and supported. “
and provide ILO Occupational Health and Safety Convention (No. 155) and Recommendation (No. 164) Regulatory frameworks to protect the health and safety of workers. but it was seen inside WHO Mental Health Atlas Only 35% of countries reported having implemented national programs on mental health promotion and prevention of work-related mental health problems.
as such The COVID-19 pandemic caused a 25% increase in overall rates of anxiety and depression worldwide, which revealed the extent of governments’ inadequate preparedness to address the impact of the pandemic on mental health and a chronic global shortage of mental health resources. In 2020, governments around the world spent on average only 2% of health budgets on mental health, while low- and middle-income countries invested less than 1%.
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