Psychological disorders represent leading cause of long-term sick leave

AXA Group report

Jaskeet Briah
clock • 2 min read

Psychological disorders have been identified as the leading cause of long-term sick leave, representing one in two sick leaves for those aged under 40, AXA has found.

According to the fifth edition of the annual AXA Mind Health Study, which surveyed 17,000 adults aged 18-75 in 16 countries including the UK, the mental health of individuals was not improving. Nearly one third (32%) of the global population were experiencing mental health issues, with a continuous increase in sick leave related to mental health problems. This accounted for 27% of sick leave in 2024, which is up by four percentage points compared to 2023. Around 27% of respondents have been on sick leave for problems related to mental and psychological health compared to 23% in 2023. ...

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