Sick leave due to mental ilness among teachers of Ceará, Brazil

Abstract

Civil servants’ sick absences are a great concern for municipal, regional and federal governments in view of the high rate of servants on leave, mainly due to mental illness and behavioral issues. In this study the problem of mental illness’ sick leaves among teachers of the State of Ceará is addressed in order to determine their causes and consequences and the teachers perceptions about them. The method consisted of documental analyses of absences that occurred from January to March 2009, provided by the Medical Department of Ceará and structured interviews with 35 teachers of the Education Department, not working due to mental illness during the same period. The data have shown a high percentage of sick absences due to mental illness or behavioral issues during the studied period (30.1%) among all civil servants. The majority of sick leaves were due to mental illness classified in the F group of CID10, mainly depression (F32) and anxiety (F41). Civil servants with mental problems were mainly those working for the Education Department. The interviews shown that the motives related to the sick absences of these teachers were related to their working conditions. The main problems that originated their mental illness were schools’ violence and conflicts with students. The working conditions of the schools are discussed as well as the need for the development and implementation of programs aimed at providing effective social support for professionals on sick leave or not and promotion of better working conditions in public schools.