Sectorial Activities - Scientific Sections
Contributions from the Sections
Section on Ocupational Psychiatry
The Chair of this Section, Lennart Levi, has sent the following contribution related to "work-related stress and health":
1. A GUIDANCE FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
The European Commission has published its "Guidance on Work-Related Stress - Spice of Life or Kiss of Death?" (ISBN 92-828-9806-7) in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. It can be obtained from the European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment and Social Affairs, Unit D.6, Bat. J. Monnet, Plateau du Kirchberg, L-2920 Luxembourg. It can also be downloaded from the Internet at
It was compiled by me with editorial assistance from my wife Inger Levi.
2. SOCIETIES IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRANSITION
Based on two international conferences held in Moscow and St. Petersburg (Russia), a book has been published in English and Russian on Issues and Recommendations for Planners of "Investment for Health" in Countries of Central and Eastern Europe (ISBN 91-630-8265-9), by the late Dr. John Cullen (Ireland), Professors Modest Kabanov (St. Petersburg), Konstantin Sudakov (Moscow), and me. The two editions were made possible by a grant from the Swedish Ministry of Social Affairs and the Gyllenberg Foundation, Helsinki.
3. WORK-RELATED STRESS AND HEALTH IN THREE POST-INDUSTRIAL SETTINGS - THE EUROPEAN UNION, JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES
The proceedings of the First "Triangular" Conference on such issues have now been published in the Journal of Tokyo Medical University, Vol. 58, No. 3, 2000, p.327-468 (Professor Teruichi Shimomitsu). It includes the Tokyo Declaration that can be downloaded from the Internet at
4. INVESTMENT FOR HEALTH - THE VERONA INITIATIVE
In three annual conferences held in Verona, Italy, WHO has addressed social and economic determinants of health and ways to apply such insights to promote health and development at international, national, regional and local level. Its outcome - the Verona Challenge - can be downloaded from the Internet at
What has been accomplished so far will be developed further by a new WHO/Europe Investment for Health and Development Office, to be created soon in Venice, Italy. These activities are coordinated by Dr. Erio Ziglio, Regional Adviser for Social and Economic Development, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen.
5. PROMOTION OF WELLBEING - OPTIONS AND OBSTACLES
In line with the World Health Organization's "Verona Initiative", Inger and I have organized a WHO-sponsored workshop on the "wellbeing" component of WHO's health concept at Villa San Michele, Anacapri, Italy.
Its Proceedings, edited by Professor Lowell S. Levin (Yale University) with editorial assistance from Dr. Eraka Bath, will be published by WHO in 2001.
6. MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
The International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva, Switzerland, has published a study, covering conditions in Finland, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Its Executive Summary, prepared by Drs. Phyllis Gabriel and Marjo-Riitta Liimatainen, can be downloaded from the Internet at
7. THE STATE OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH IN THE EU
A report has been compiled by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Bilbao, Spain. It provides information based on national statistics from the 15 EU Member States. It can be downloaded at
8. THIRD EUROPEAN SURVEY ON WORKING CONDITIONS
The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Dublin, Ireland) has completed its third European Survey, prepared by Drs. Damien Merllié and Pascal Paoli. You can find its Summary Report "Ten years of Working conditions in the European Union" at
9. REPORTS FROM NIOSH AND HSE
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (United States) has a job stress Internet site, where you also can find its publication "Stress ... at work", prepared by Dr. Steven L. Sauter et al. You can download this at
The Health and Safety Executive of the United Kingdom has prepared related materials, including a report on "Help on Work-Related Stress - a Short Guide", to be downloaded at
10. THE HEART OF THE ENTERPRISE
Together with Professor Åke Nygren (Karolinska institutet), CEO Björn Lilliehöök (Swedish Heart-Lung fund), and Ms. Sara Grambo, I am coordinating a national 3-year programme to disseminate and implement current knowledge in the field of work-related stress and health, in collaboration with the Swedish Heart-Lung Fund, the Swedish Workers' Educational Association and the Swedish Federation of Social Insurance Offices, with financial support from AMF Insurance.
This programme includes, inter alia,
- conducting an academic course at the Karolinska Institute, in Psychosocial Occupational Health, for the Swedish Heart-Lung Fund's 17 regional health workers;
- creating a Forum for dissemination and sharing of information for all stakeholders;
- organizing Seminars for the Media, to increase their awareness of, and competence in Psychosocial Occupational Health;
- designing and proposing amended curricula for students and professionals in, e.g., Technology and Economics, to allow better mainstreaming and integration of stress prevention and management with
- all relevant organizational activities and policies.
