Skip to main content

Occupational health

Occupational health is a holistic approach to health that extends from individuals in the workplace to the organization as a whole. The field of expertise of occupational health applies to a wide variety of aspects of physical, mental and psychosocial health conditions, the environment and even health practices.

With increased media coverage over the past decade, mental health issues at work are becoming less and less taboo and are a new priority for improving the daily lives of workers in Canada.

What mental health in the workplace means

  • In Canada, mental health issues cost an estimated $51 billion1 annually.
  • By 2041, the cumulative social cost will be around $2.5 trillion1 .
  • 30% of withdrawals from the workplace are caused by mental health problems.2
  • 70% of all disability costs are related to mental illness.2 
  • Anyone can develop mental health problems during their lifetime, causing various effects on the individual and those around them. Nearly 20% of the Quebec population, or one in five people, will be affected by a mental illness during their lifetime.3
  • By age 40, 50% of Canadians have a mental illness or have had one.1
  • The causes of work stoppages that are related to mental health disorders are both personal and professional. In more than half of situations, both causes are at play and have had a concomitant effect on people with disabilities.4
  • 20% of female employees in the US have voluntarily left a job because of mental health. The vast majority of these people are under 40 years old.5

1 Smetanin, Paul, David Stiff, Carla Briante, Carol E. Adair, Sheeba Ahmad and Minhal Khan. The life and economic impact of major mental illnesses in Canada: 2011-2041, RiskAnalytica, report commissioned by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Toronto, 2011.

2 Dewa, Carolyn S., Nancy Chau and Stanley Dermer. “Examining the comparative incidence and costs of physical and mental health-related disabilities in an employed population,” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine vol. 52, no. 7, 2010, pp. 758-762.

3 https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/advice-and-prevention/mental-health/learn-about-mental-disorders/mental-disorders/about-mental-disorders

4 ST-ARNAUD, L., SAINT-JEAN, M., DAMASSE, J. (2004)

5 Mindshare Partners. Mental Health at Work 2019 Report, 2019.

Types of mental health problems at work

  • Anxiety disorders
  • Chronic stress syndromes
  • Adjustment disorders
  • Burnout syndromes

These disorders affect the individual resilience and coping abilities of the affected people as well as their relationship to their environment, sometimes manifesting one or more symptoms.

  • Substance abuse
  • Socio-economic difficulties
  • Somatoform disorders
  • Sleep disorders
  • Behavioural changes
  • Verbal or physical violence
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Depletion of social or support networks

Our service offering

The creation of a personalized support system is the cornerstone of an integrated service approach where the individual is at the centre of the rehabilitation process.

This support is provided by determining key clinical actors who act as coordinators and support for the person with a disability.

Acta Rehabilitation consultants act as agents of change in an effort to address the issues arising from these various disorders. We care for the health of workers in this critical phase of their lives where optimized support will have a favourable impact and make a major difference in their recovery.