Work and psyche: AOK: More and more days missed from work due to mental illness

Mental illnesses are causing more and more days of absence from work in Thuringia. On average, last year there were 461 days of absence due to such diagnoses per 100 AOK-insured employees - in 2016 there were 275, as the health insurance company announced. That is an increase of 68 percent. The “Absence Report” was created by the AOK Scientific Institute.

Anyone who is mentally ill is often out of work for weeks. The average duration of a sick note for mental illnesses last year was 28.5 days - four times as long as for respiratory illnesses at 6.8 days. That is why the topic is becoming increasingly relevant for employers.

“No longer a fringe topic”

A significant increase has also been observed in burnout diagnoses. From 2016 to 2025, days lost increased by around 109 percent from 10.2 days per 100 AOK members to 21.4 days.

“Mental health is no longer a marginal issue. The increasing absences show how important it is to recognize stress at an early stage and prevent it so that people can have more healthy years," explained Stefan Knupfer, CEO of AOK Plus.

Certain professional groups are particularly affected

Differences emerged depending on the professional groups. The highest number of sick notes due to mental illnesses occurred in dialogue marketing with 32.4 per 100 AOK-insured employees. This includes, for example, call centers. High rates were also recorded in geriatric care (27.5 cases), in social administration and insurance (27.4 cases) as well as in curative education and special education (26.9 cases).

The AOK pointed out that increasing absenteeism due to mental illnesses does not automatically mean that these are increasing to the same extent in the population. Part of the increase can be explained by the fact that mental illnesses are now better recognized, addressed more openly and treated more frequently, it said.

The report has been published every year since 1998 and examines the development of the number of incapacity for work among AOK members. This year the focus was on “Mental health in the world of work”. According to the company's own information, around 3.5 million people, just over half of all those with statutory health insurance in Saxony and Thuringia, are insured with AOK Plus.