Supporting Mental Health at Work

Nearly 14 percent of the world’s population lived with a mental health condition in 2021, according to the latest data from Global Burden of Disease study. That’s more than a billion people worldwide, or more than 1 in every 8 people. The global burden of mental illness is staggering, but in some countries, the burden is even higher than the global average—in the U.S., more than 1 in 5 adults live with a mental health condition.

To raise awareness of the massive burden of mental illness and promote better mental health, we celebrate World Mental Health Day, held annually on October 10. This year, the theme of World Mental Health Day is “Mental Health at Work,” highlighting the important connection between mental health, work, and the work environment.

For many adults, work is where we spend a significant amount of our time. Work therefore has an important role in our mental health—both as a protector of mental health and as a risk to it. Work can be protective of mental health by providing stability, income, a sense of purpose, and interpersonal connections. However, work can also be a source of stress or distress, for example through exposure to discrimination, harassment, or hazardous conditions. Unhealthy work cultures that encourage overworking are also known to drive up suicide risk and mortality, such as in South Korea and Japan.

Paying attention to mental health in the workplace is important because mental health disorders are one of the leading causes of disability and years of healthy life lost. Having poor mental health also affects our ability to work and lead healthy lives, which has wider implications for the people around us and the economy. The WHO estimates that anxiety and depression alone cause the loss of 12 billion workdays a year.

Because we spend so much time at work, the workplace may therefore act as a critical point of intervention for protecting mental health and preventing mental illnesses. The WHO guidelines on mental health at work lists ten categories of mental health risks related to work: work content/task design, workload and work pace, work schedule, worker control, environment and equipment, organizational culture and function, interpersonal relationships at work, organizational role, career development issues, and the home-work interface.

On this World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization and World Federation of Mental Health are calling for governments, employers, managers, and employees to reduce risks to mental health in the workplace and improve mental health for workers. Enacting policies, fostering healthy working environments, and taking steps to protect oneself and others can all have a positive impact on mental health. Also important is reducing the stigma around mental illness, which can prevent people who have mental health conditions from finding and keeping jobs, as well as discourage them from seeking treatment.

The COVID-19 pandemic threw mental health at the workplace into the spotlight, not only because of how the pandemic affected mental health, but also because of how it changed the nature of work. In the post-pandemic era, we must use the lessons learned to improve mental health for workers. To learn more about the global burden of mental health disorders, explore our resource pack on Global Mental Health and Addiction, or check out the selected resources below.

Teaching Resources

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