Between January 2016 and July 2023, the number of workers who have caused mental health loss in the Spanish state has doubled. Eldiario.es has obtained and analyzed data from the National Social Security Institute: They recorded 163,000 casualties from January to July 2016 and 338,000 casualties in the same period this year.

Young people and women have been the most prominent. Since January 2019, among people aged 16 and 25, the number of mental health deaths has increased by 91%. Among those between the ages of 26 and 35, it has also grown a lot, 48%. As for gender, the number of female casualties is almost twice that of men: By May 2023, women were 37,000, while men were 19,600.

Excess containment figures

In March 2020, the lockdown coincided with an increase in the number of workers discharged for mental disorders. It increased considerably since the previous month (34,000 in February and 51,000 in March). It has declined from then until May of this year (56,000). In most age groups the trend has been declining until March 2021, but has increased again.

In Hego Euskal Herria, Bizkaia is the territory with the highest percentage of casualties for this reason, 6.7% of the total. It was followed by Gipuzkoa (6%), Álava (5.5%) and Navarra (4.5%).

Mental disorder is the third longest type of leave in the state, with an average duration of 108 days. They precede the deaths due to tumors and diseases of the circulatory system.