Investigation of cases of work-related mental disorders in Brazil: an ecological study

TL;DR

This study examines the rise of work-related mental disorders in Brazil from 2015 to 2024, highlighting trends and contributing factors.

Contribution

The study provides an epidemiological profile of work-related mental disorders in Brazil using national data.

Findings

Women accounted for 67% of reported work-related mental disorder cases.

56% of cases led to temporary disability, indicating significant impact on workers.

Neurotic and stress-related disorders made up nearly half of all diagnoses.

Abstract

The mental health of Brazilian workers is compromised, and work-related
mental disorders are becoming increasingly common. Several factors may be
associated with the rise in these cases, among which precarious work stands
out as particularly relevant.

To describe the epidemiological profile of work-related mental disorders in
Brazil between 2015 and 2024.

This is an ecological study, with a retrospective, descriptive and
quantitative approach, which analyzed from the publicly available secondary
data.

A total of 21,186 notifications were analyzed. Women accounted for 67% of the
cases of work-related mental disorders, showing an upward annual trend.
Furthermore, 60% of cases occurred among individuals with completed high
school or higher education. In addition, 49% of the diagnoses corresponded
to neurotic disorders, stress-related disorders, and somatoform disorders,
whereas mood disorder and burnout syndrome accounted for approximately 27%
of reported cases. The data also show that 56% of cases of work-related
mental disorders progressed to temporary disability. Nonetheless, the study
faced limitations due to the high proportion of missing or blank data in the
reporting system.

Based on the information presented in this study, it becomes feasible to
develop effective preventive strategies to protect workers’ health and
safety, as well as to reduce government expenditures.