Brazil workplace mental health issues drive rise in INSS benefits and copycat attacks

In 2025 Brazil's Social Security (INSS) granted 546,254 temporary disability benefits for mental and behavioral disorders, a 15.6% increase over the previous year. Benefits are awarded when medical documentation proves the condition prevents work, covering temporary incapacity, permanent disability, work‑related cases, and require thorough medical evidence.

Two violent incidents occurred in early August at Brazilian workplaces. On August 1 a subcontractor killed three colleagues at a cleaning‑products factory in São Bernardo do Campo. Two days later a butcher attacked coworkers at a supermarket in Jundiaí, injuring three. Police reports indicated the second attacker was inspired by the first, illustrating a copycat effect. Experts stress that emotionally vulnerable individuals may imitate high‑profile crimes, and highlight the recent update to Brazil's Regulatory Standard No. 1 (NR‑1), which now obliges companies to identify and manage psychosocial workplace risks.