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Mental and behavioral disorders impose a substantial productivity cost burden on the Brazilian federal workforce, accounting for 3.94 billion BRL and 38% of total costs among leading causes of absence between 2012 and 2024. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

August 27, 2026PharmacoEconomics - OpenOpen Access

The Price of Absence: Productivity Costs and Sickness-Absence Episodes Attributable to Mental and Behavioral Disorders in the Brazilian Federal Workforce — A Nationwide Time-Series Study (2012–2024)

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Authors

DSDouglas Paschoal dos Santos ACAlfredo Chaoubah HOHelian Nunes de Oliveira

Discussion

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Overview

Retrospective longitudinal study reveals substantial productivity losses and rising sickness-absence rates from mental disorders in civil servants, highlighting a need for targeted health policies.

Key Points

To estimate productivity costs and sickness-absence episode trends attributable to mental and behavioral disorders (ICD-10 Chapter V) among Brazilian federal civil servants from 2012 to 2024.
Retrospective longitudinal study evaluating nationwide SIAPE-SAÚDE administrative registry data for Brazilian federal civil servants (average n = 471,507 workers/year) from 2012 to 2024.
Productivity costs were calculated using the Human Capital Approach (22 lost workdays per 30-day leave multiplied by daily wage), adjusted to December 2024 currency and stratified by demographic variables.
Mental and behavioral disorders caused 13.9 million lost workdays and cost 3.94 billion BRL (38% of leading absence costs), with mood disorders (2.04 billion BRL) and neurotic/stress-related disorders (1.49 billion BRL) generating the largest burden.
Annual episode rates doubled from 42.3 to 83.8 per 1,000 employees between 2012 and 2019, dropped to 39.4 in 2020, and rebounded to 85.8 per 1,000 in 2023.
Women had higher episode rates (approximately 160 per 1,000 for age ≤ 30), while men had longer leaves (44.7 vs. 37.5 days) and higher costs per case (11,720 vs. 8,905 BRL), with dramatic increases in autism (+1,673%) and ADHD (+331%).

Cite This Study

Santos et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8fe96710c91c1e92620f64 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41669-026-00673-8

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August 27, 2026PharmacoEconomics - OpenOpen Access

The Price of Absence: Productivity Costs and Sickness-Absence Episodes Attributable to Mental and Behavioral Disorders in the Brazilian Federal Workforce — A Nationwide Time-Series Study (2012–2024)

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

DSDouglas Paschoal dos Santos ACAlfredo Chaoubah HOHelian Nunes de Oliveira

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Retrospective longitudinal study reveals substantial productivity losses and rising sickness-absence rates from mental disorders in civil servants, highlighting a need for targeted health policies.

Key Points

To estimate productivity costs and sickness-absence episode trends attributable to mental and behavioral disorders (ICD-10 Chapter V) among Brazilian federal civil servants from 2012 to 2024.
Retrospective longitudinal study evaluating nationwide SIAPE-SAÚDE administrative registry data for Brazilian federal civil servants (average n = 471,507 workers/year) from 2012 to 2024.
Productivity costs were calculated using the Human Capital Approach (22 lost workdays per 30-day leave multiplied by daily wage), adjusted to December 2024 currency and stratified by demographic variables.
Mental and behavioral disorders caused 13.9 million lost workdays and cost 3.94 billion BRL (38% of leading absence costs), with mood disorders (2.04 billion BRL) and neurotic/stress-related disorders (1.49 billion BRL) generating the largest burden.
Annual episode rates doubled from 42.3 to 83.8 per 1,000 employees between 2012 and 2019, dropped to 39.4 in 2020, and rebounded to 85.8 per 1,000 in 2023.
Women had higher episode rates (approximately 160 per 1,000 for age ≤ 30), while men had longer leaves (44.7 vs. 37.5 days) and higher costs per case (11,720 vs. 8,905 BRL), with dramatic increases in autism (+1,673%) and ADHD (+331%).

Cite This Study

Santos et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8fe96710c91c1e92620f64 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41669-026-00673-8

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark