A country using antidepressants - Rute Dinis de Sousa in “Talk ESG – The Future is Now” from Jornal de Negócios

The Director of CHRC, Rute Dinis de Sousa, was one of the speakers at the premiere of “Talk ESG – The Future is Now”, with the theme “A country using antidepressants: the mental health taboo in organizations”, of Negócios Sustentabilidade, an initiative by the Jornal de Negócios.

In this Talk, it was discussed the growing problem of mental illness within organizations/companies, its potential causes, affecting the health of employees and the productivity of companies. According to statistics, Portugal is the second OECD country with the highest consumption of anti-depressants and it’s the 1st when it comes to the consumption of anxiolytics.

What possible solutions could be put in place and what actions could make a difference to fight this problem?

The topic was debated among the 4 guests present at the 1st ESG Talk, Rute Dinis de Sousa (Director of CHRC and Advisor for Transformation and Strategic Relations, NOVA Medical School), Filipa Alves Rocha (responsible for the Department of Occupational Health, MC Sonae ), José Luís Carvalho (Human Resources Director of CUF) and Nuno Abreu (Executive Director of Aon Portugal). The probable causes of excess consumption of psychotropic drugs were discussed, given that Mental Illness in Portugal is still largely seen as a “physical” illness, with treatment more focused on controlling symptoms. It was also discussed the stigma that still exists around mental illness in which causes obstacles in seeking help or recognizing the need for a support network and the central role of companies in the well-being of their employees, which should change its directive towards a more preventive role and encouraging change in the business culture that is still very present in Portugal, that puts too much pressure on its employees.

“Institutions that want to be productive, economically healthy and sustainable cannot have people who are sick, because these people do not innovate and are worried about surviving each day.” – Rute Dinis de Sousa.

Watch the full debate in https://www.jornaldenegocios.pt/sustentabilidade/detalhe/e-preciso-olhar-de-forma-mais-humanizada-para-o-outro