Sickness absence is highest in female-dominated professions such as care, nursing and education. Nine out of ten people on long-term sick leave for stress-related psychiatric illness say stress and a high workload at work have contributed to their sick leave.
People on sick leave due to stress also have a harder time returning to work than others. Sick leave is often long: half of sick leave lasting more than 180 days is due to psychiatric diagnoses.
According to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency's report, there is a lack of knowledge about which interventions actually facilitate a sustainable return to work. Support from the employer is important both during sick leave and when the person returns to work, and many people on sick leave with stress-related mental health problems experience their employer's support as insufficient.
Those who stated that they received the support they needed from their employer had a 19 percent higher chance of returning to work than others.
