Mental health and working conditions

Until the 1990s no research or analysis had been done on the relationship between mental health and working conditions. Recently, a number of surveys have taken place. They focused on:

* the relationship between somatic and depressive symptoms and stressful working conditions;

* the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder as a psychological consequence of traumatic events in the workplace;

* the rise in absenteeism due to mental health disorders during the period of socio-economic transformation;

* the impact of unemployment on mental health status, e.g. the fear of job loss, the correlation between unemployment and depressive symptoms, and the consumption of psychoactive substances;

* the increase in suicide rates during the years of economic transformation.

Existing guidelines on stress management and educational initiatives in the area of mental health are often based on experience in other countries, which is not relevant to Poland's transition situation. Though occupational medicine practitioners are responsible for prevention of mental health disorders, these are not governed by any detailed legal mandates, and so appropriate interventions are not taking place. There is no information on workplace policies or programmes of primary prevention in Poland. In 1997 the National Centre of Workplace Health Promotion was established in the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lódz, but mental health promotion is not one of its specific targets.

Mental health and employment

There are very few jobs for people with mental health disorders. This is a factor of the difficult situation in the labour market and of the lack of funds to support workers in need of special accommodations. There are no governmental or non-governmental facilities to provide people with mental health disorders with the training and skills they need to gain access to the open labour market. Neither employers' organisations nor trade unions have made the employment and retention of people with mental health disorders a priority. There is reason to hope that non-governmental organisations, such as the Coalition for Mental Health, will play an increasingly important role in changing the way people with mental heath disorders are cared for and in improving their lives and working conditions

Conclusion

In conclusion, over the past decade, Poland has acquired a legislative framework in which to begin meeting the needs of people with mental health disorders in the workplace. However, much remains to be done to translate principles into practice. Until recently, working conditions for people with mental health disorders and the relationship between working conditions and mental health have not been a high priority for the government, employers, or Polish society as a whole. However, awareness of the problems of people with mental health disorders in the workplace and the will to address them are growing. The time is therefore right for new initiatives to improve the situation. They include:

*research on the consequences of Poland's socio-economic transformation and working conditions on mental health;

* legislative initiatives which mandate working conditions to protect mental health and workplace accommodations for persons with mental health disorders;

* development of mental health promotion programmes.