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Mental health problems threaten the knowledge economy
Nov 4, 2006, 20:54, Reviewed by: Dr. Ankush Vidyarthi
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By Committee of Sector Councils, Council for Health Research,
Weehuizen notes that while this report deals with the situation in the Netherlands, the same is happening in all modern economies.
Mental health is also a major problem in economic terms. In the Netherlands stress and work pressure are the cause of 29 % of sick leave and of 30 % of work disability. Thirty percent of the cost of health care in the Netherlands is directly or indirectly related to metal health problems like work related stress, burn out, depression and other ailments. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) about 4 % of gross national product (GNP) in countries such as the Netherlands is lost due to the direct and indirect costs of mental health problems.
Policy measures Governments should therefore invest more in the mental capital of their economies by putting more money into treatment of mental health related problems and, even more important, into prevention.
She outlines a long list of needed measures: Parents and education should be teaching young people more coping skills. Self-awareness and cognitive, social and emotional skills have to be increased to make workers better able to function in the knowledge economy. The human resource departments of companies should extend their policies to prevent mental health problems. Quite often they only react, after the problems have arisen. Mental resilience of workers is a critical success factor of an organisation.
Weehuizen also points out that this is not only an issue for rich countries such as the Netherlands. Many developing countries are facing poverty and conflict - major stress factors that are leading to mental health problems and a lack of self-efficacy.
- United Nations University
www.unu.edu
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