Have you ever had a day (or days) when you just couldn’t get out of bed? When the prospect of doing your job seemed impossible, but you didn’t have any physical symptoms? You’re not alone. “Mental health” has been to blame for work call offs among young people now more than ever.
In a yearly psych report published by DAK Gesundheit – a German health insurance company – “Loss of work due to depression, stress reactions and anxiety has reached a new high in 2023. Educators, social pedagogues (care workers), theologians, and geriatric care professionals are particularly burdened.”
By calling on data from sick notes over the last decade, researchers from DAK found a 52 percent increase in leave days due to mental illness. This increase was most heavily noted among younger workers, who cited “depression” as the most common reason for taking leave.
So, why are young people more likely to call off work due to burnout or feelings of depression? FOCUS Online spoke to Dr. Mirriam Prieβ, a physician and podcast host, about the DAK study.
“When we question the cause of exhaustion and mental illness, we first need to understand the key aspect of mental health. And that’s successful relationships,” Dr. Prieβ said.
Those relationships include the way we talk to ourselves, having friendships and a romantic partnership, a positive family system, a healthy work environment, and are dependent on life situations like illness, separation, or a crisis.
“When relationships are successful at these levels, we are far from mental exhaustion or illness,” said Prieß. “However, the more disrupted the relationships are, the greater the risk of illness.”
In young people, these relationships are still developing are and more vulnerable to outside influence as their brains finish fully growing. Still, Prieβ said workers of all ages can look out for the symptoms of mental illness or workplace burnout as it develops in four phases:
- Alarm – inner unrest, moodiness, concentration issues, and tension.
- Resistance – irritability, the urge to fight.
- Exhaustion – disordered sleep, a sense of monotony
- Withdrawal – hopelessness, fear, constant worry
By being conscious of these symptoms and feelings, we can address them before they turn into a larger mental health issue.
“Don’t wait until it gets out of hand, but react at the first sign of trouble,” Prieβ said. “Talk to friends or family members about it, make a consultation appointment with a general practitioner or turn to a psychotherapist.”