Good Work Good Health

Mental illness is now the commonest cause of ill health in the European Union (EU), representing some 25% of the total disease burden (fig. 1), and rates are rising year on year. Unlike many illnesses, mental health problems occur across the age spectrum and one in four people in employment can expect to experience some kind of mental health problem in a year. The impact on individual workers, employing organisations and society in general is very significant. Until recently the focus has been solely on the human and economic costs of ill health but there is a growing understanding that good