SS71-04 IMPACT AND ASSESSMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES / CONSEQUENCES AS OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES

Colombia has a social security system in which healthcare is divided based on the health condition’s origin; this is how workers' risk insurance companies cover work-related accidents and occupational diseases. Therefore, determining the origin of these conditions becomes more relevant for prevention, care, and access to compensation. Colombia has adopted a mixed system for assessing occupational diseases. To diagnose stress-related diseases, risk factors are evaluated following a protocol. This takes into account both work and non-work-related factors that scientific evidence has linked to the disease. Statistics of cases classified by the Colombian National Board of Disability Assessment, an entity affiliated with the Ministry of Labor (period 2016-2022), were reviewed and compared with expert panels to analyze the challenges in assessing diagnoses of mental illnesses, which are more prevalent in the determination of origin processes. Out of the total number of cases with claims for psychosocial risk and mental illness, 65% were classified as non-work related, while 35% were classified as occupational diseases. Mixed anxiety and depression disorder represented 59.20%, adjustment disorder 16.70%, post-traumatic stress disorder 8%, generalized anxiety disorder 5.9%, and acute stress reaction 2.1%. Although the protocol is a useful tool, it needs to be updated, and healthcare professionals need to be trained to achieve a more efficient process that guarantees rights.