Saúde mental e trabalho docente

Mental health and teaching. The study addresses the issue of teaching absenteeism in a city of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It departs from a documentary research of sick leaves granted to teachers during a year period and interviews some of these teachers. Statistical analyzes of the data of sick teachers’ records were carried out, as well as the textual analysis of the interviews. It was found that 50% of the teachers were on sick leave for mental and behavioral disorders, as stated by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Most of these disorders had a depressive nature, mild or severe. Interview data suggest that these leaves could have been caused by violence at school, as well as inadequate physical structure at school and management of resources. The teachers are subject to overcrowded classes, work overload caused by shortage of teachers, lack of support from managers, among others. The study aims to help to identify actions in order to promote a safer work environment and a better quality of life for teachers.