Brazil sees sharp rise in work‑related mental health disorders

A series of recent studies and official data highlight a growing mental‑health crisis among Brazilian workers driven by a culture of toxic productivity. A 2024 survey by Instituto Locomotiva found that 60% of respondents report no leisure time during the week, while a health‑tech study documented that about 70% of nearly 2,000 tracked individuals live in a constant state of hyper‑vigilance. The Ministry of Social Security recorded an 800% increase in burnout‑related leave claims between 2021 and 2025, with more than 500,000 workers off work for mental‑health conditions in the last year alone.

The Supreme Federal Court (STF) has temporarily suspended fines linked to Brazil’s NR‑1 safety norm, which extends employers’ duties to prevent occupational stress, harassment and over‑work. The 90‑day suspension gives employers, especially small and medium‑sized firms in Acre, extra time to develop clear inspection criteria, while the obligation to identify and mitigate psychosocial risks remains in force.

In Minas Gerais, the Ministry of Health’s DART platform recorded over 6,000 work‑related mental‑disorder notifications in the past decade, with severe stress, anxiety and depression leading the counts. Nationally, 472,000 workers were on mental‑health leave in 2024; that figure rose more than 15% to 546,000 in 2025. Health workers, teachers, retail staff and administrative employees are among the most affected professions, citing high emotional load, strict performance targets and limited autonomy as key contributors.