According to a study published by the European Institute of Trade Unions (ETUI) on Monday, the annual cost of depression in the European Union is more than 100 billion euros.
The Institute describes five psychosocial risks on its origin:
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Stress at work
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Long working time
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The work of unsafe
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imbalance between efforts and reward
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Moral persecution.
According to existing data for 2015, these risks may have tragic consequences.
“Approximately 6,000 deaths caused by coronary heart disease, psychosocial risks and more than 5,000 deaths can be associated with suicide caused by depression,” says Sonya Navrook, a researcher at the European Institute of Trade Unions.
“These are preventive deaths,” he says, Dimitra Theodori, the head of health and safety ETUI.
According to ETUI, 8 percent of cardiovascular diseases and 23 percent of depression are associated with these psychosocial risks.
Employers pay the price of depression
The institute reports that this report is the first report in which the economic costs of cardiovascular diseases are measured, especially coronary heart disease and stroke, and not only depression, but also cardiovascular diseases associated with psychosocial business factors.
In this table, FranceBelgium, Finland, Ireland and the Netherlands, most affected by the cost of 100,000 employees. This financial burden is divided by the employer and employee, but sometimes asymmetrically.
“We found that the most severe burden for both diseases was both employers and workers. Especially when it comes to the cost of depression, more than 80 percent of the total cost of depression in Europe in 2015 can be attributed to psychosocial risks at the workplace, ”said Sonya Navox,“ this cost, illness and absence were paid by the employer.
The researcher also mentioned the situation in which employees went to work, but fewer health indicators, especially mental health.
These figures are based on 2015 Eurofond data. The European Fund for improving life and working conditions published a study of working conditions every five years, but interrupted the survey of paremi of 2020. Therefore, it is expected that a new study will be published this year.
In the light of these conclusions, the European Institute of Trade Unions (ETUI) calls on the European commission to provide a text that will strengthen measures. ETUI believes that this directive of mental health should also provide the leadership of employers.
Nevertheless, the researchers say that the efforts to prevent these risks have changed depending on the workplace and work force and admit that there is no single answer. The tank’s thinking emphasizes that the inclusion of employees in the prevention processes is still a fundamental element.