More and more absenteeism due to depression

Significant increase in sick leave due to depression

01/28/2015

Depression is a dramatically increasing complaint. In the years from 2000 to 2013 „Absences due to depression have risen by almost 70 percent“, reported the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) of the results of today presented in Berlin depression Atlas Germany. Over the same period, the proportion of the active population prescribed antidepressants increased by one third (to six percent).

The TK Depression Atlas not only expresses a massive increase in depression as a whole, but also highlights significant differences between the different occupations, genders, ages and regions. The drastic increase in absenteeism due to mental illness has to be evaluated extremely critically, both in terms of the health of employees and from an economic point of view.

Long absences due to depression
Statistically speaking, every working person was employed in 2013 „one sick day due to depression“, reports the CEO of Techniker Krankenkasse, Dr. med. Jens Baas. Although only 1.6 percent of the workforce received sick leave due to depression, other diagnoses such as colds or back pain significantly affected more people. But the average sick leave period was much higher for depression. On average, those affected were on sick leave for 64 days, resulting in correspondingly high downtimes in the factories. In one „For a company with 250 employees, this means that on average four of its employees are missing a good two months a year“, so the message of TK. Taking into account the additional leave entitlement, therefore, at least one job in large corporations remains unoccupied due to depression alone. „ In addition, considering the large medical care needs of patients, depression is also an economic factor“, so Baas.

Gender differences in absenteeism
The Depression Atlas also highlights significant gender differences in sick leave due to depression. „The absences differ between the sexes“, whereas women with an average of 1.3 sick leave days are significantly more frequently affected than men (average of 0.8 sick leave days), reports Thomas Grobe from the AQUA (Institute for Applied Quality Promotion and Research in Health Care), who evaluated the data for the TC. In addition, there was a significant increase in absenteeism due to depression with age. „Only from the age of 60 are the values ​​declining again“, so the message of TK.

Depression is particularly common among call center employees
With regard to the different manifestations of depression in the different professions, TK reports that „Above all, occupations with a high level of stress and a great mental stress“ are increasingly affected. For example, absenteeism among employees in the call center (2.8 days) and care for the elderly (2.5 days) was particularly high. Also in education (1.6 missing days) and safety occupations (1.4 days off) the employees suffered increasingly from depression. Here, a connection between the occupational burden and the onset of mental illness seems obvious.

Significant regional differences
The first evaluation of depression-related sick leave at the local level showed that in Merzig-Wadern in Saarland the highest absenteeism rate averaged 1.7 days lost per day, according to the TK. Also in Lübeck, Neumünster, Bad Segeberg, Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Bielefeld and Oberhavel were the absences with 1.6 days of absence particularly high. On the other hand, the employees in Greiz in the Vogtland (0.2 days off) and in the Upper Franconian Kulmbach (0.3 days off) showed particularly good mental health. However „not everyone who has depression is on sick leave“, explained the TK psychologist York Scheller. Therefore, the prescription of antidepressants was also investigated in the depression atlas.

Increase in antidepressant prescription
The evaluation of the antidepressant prescriptions has shown that even some regions with below average absenteeism due to depression have relatively high prescription rates. Thus, for example, the already mentioned Kulmbacher 70 percent less sick leave than the national average, but also received 5.5 percent of the workforce antidepressants, which was only just below the mean of 5.97 percent. Other regions, such as Birkenfeld in Rhineland-Palatinate, were even 20 percent above the national average for antidepressant prescriptions despite below-average absences. For example, 7.2 percent of the working population in 2013 would have received medication to treat depression, TK reports.

Continuing trend towards more sick leave due to depression
Commenting on the first preliminary results of TK's 2015 health report published in early summer, Jens Baas explained that the trend towards increasing mental retirements will continue and that it is therefore important to have good opportunities in occupational health management, individual prevention and health care medical care against the increase in mental disorders. „Legal anti-stress regulations are not sufficient here“, Baas emphasized, adding that companies, employees and health insurances are equally required. (Fp)