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Mental diseases take center stage

On the eve of International Mental Health Day, Taiwan's mental health professionals appealed yesterday to the Council of Labor Affairs to include mental health in occupational safety awareness.

The theme for this year's and next year's International Mental Health Day is mental health and work.

"The existing Labor Standards Law emphasizes only occupational injuries," said Chang Te-chung (張德聰), a member of the Mental Health Association in Taiwan (中華心理衛生協會).

"We hope that mental health awareness can be heightened in the work place for the sake of the overall health of the work force," he said, adding that "Mental diseases should be considered as occupational injuries as well."

Mental Health Day was designated in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health, an organization under the umbrella of the WHO. The federation has presented some alarming facts to the world in order to raise awareness of the serious problems of mental health diseases.

Epidemiologists worldwide have singled out cancer, AIDS and depression as the three main global diseases leading to people's inability to take care of themselves. Stress has been identified as one cause of depression. WHO has stated that work stress has become a worldwide problem.

According to US statistics, employees' "psychological reactions" to work stress constitute the fourth most common occupational injury. In addition, 40 percent of people who change their job do so because of intolerance to work pressure.

In Japan, what is know as Karoshi -- or death due to exhaustion -- usually occurs among employees in high-status positions and is caused by apoplexy, high blood pressure and "pressure."

There has been no research into epidemics caused by pressure or stress among workers in Taiwan, Chang said. But according to statistics from Taiwan University Hospital, over 10 percent of patients seeking psychological counseling or therapy were registered as "laborers."

In addition to workers, students are another highly pressured group. 20 percent of patients with mental problems in Taiwan University Hospital were students.

"One piece of research also found that 10 to 15 percent of students expressed the need for psychological counseling," Chang added.

In recognition of the fact that mental health problems are becoming more common in Taiwan, the Department of Health is cooperating with the association to work on a nation-wide promotion of mental health issues from today to the end of the month.

"Many people are more aware of pain and stress than before," Chang said. "The social cost of the related diseases is high. We need to develop a mental health strategy in terms of the local culture."
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