During the 1990s, clearly positive developments also took place in the Finnish labour market. According to a study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.²¹ work has become less monotonous; 17 % of women perceived their work as monotonous in 1997, down from 29 % in 1987. Possibilities for personal development and control at work have increased. Employees report greater encouragement, respect, and opportunities to apply their own ideas. These are developments which may positively affect the work environment and employees' wellbeing.

Mental health problems and increased mortality

 

Mental health disorders are clearly associated with increased mortality rates: the risk of death is several times higher among people with mental health disorders than among the population as a whole. Suicide and violence are the main causes of death associated with mental health disorders.²² It has been estimated that the risk of death for both men and women is ten or more times higher among 20- to 29-year-olds with mental health disorders than in the general population of the same age.²³ Mental health affects physical health and vice versa. People with severe mental health disorders have high rates of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and malignancy. Therefore, mental health promotion can be seen as a way of bringing down the mortality rate.²⁴

Suicide is of particular concern in Finland, since the country has always had a high suicide rate compared with other countries. In 1994, Finland ranked eighth internationally in terms of male and female suicides (43.6 male suicides and 11.8 female suicides per 100 000 inhabitants). In 1996, a total of 1,247 people (965 men and 282 women), took their own lives in Finland. The figures for young men are particularly high; one in four suicides is committed by a man under the age of 35. For women the figures have remained quite stable.²⁵ Fortunately, the number of suicides, notably for men, has been declining steadily since their peak in1990.

Every year 30,000 working years are lost due to suicides. Work can have a critical impact on the factors that influence an individual to commit suicide. The changes taking place in the labour markets, recession, and unemployment can increase the risk of suicide.²⁶