What career has the most mental illness?

Asked by: Dr. Torrey Dickinson II  |  Last update: March 8, 2026
Score: 4.9/5 (4 votes)

While no single job has the absolute "most" mental illness, healthcare (nurses, doctors), education (teachers), social services, arts/media, and customer service/sales consistently show high rates of distress, burnout, depression, and suicide risk due to stress, trauma, heavy workloads, and emotional demands. Key risk factors include high pressure, public scrutiny, compassion fatigue, and unpredictable hours, affecting roles like emergency responders (firefighters, EMTs), social workers, and frontline medical staff.

Which profession has the most mental health issues?

Healthcare workers: depression is especially common among healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, and other personnel working in the health profession. Styra et al. (2021) reported that 31.5% of Canadian healthcare workers were experiencing depression as a result of their work.

What mental illness is hardest to live with?

There's no single "hardest" mental illness, as experiences vary, but Schizophrenia, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Bipolar Disorder, and severe Eating Disorders (like Anorexia Nervosa) are often cited as extremely challenging due to their profound impact on reality, emotions, relationships, and daily functioning, often involving symptoms like psychosis, severe mood swings, intense instability, and distorted self-perception. 

What careers have the highest depression rates?

Jobs with the highest depression rates often involve high stress, emotional toll, long hours, and low control, with frequent mentions of healthcare support, social services, food service, arts/media, and education, while physicians in fields like urology, emergency medicine, and family medicine also show high rates. The key drivers are usually traumatic exposure, patient/client needs, poor work-life balance, and job insecurity, affecting roles from nurses and teachers to first responders, caregivers, and retail workers. 

What job has the highest burnout?

Jobs with the highest burnout rates consistently involve high emotional demands, long hours, and critical decision-making, with Healthcare (nurses, doctors, social workers), Education (teachers), and First Responders (EMTs, police) topping lists due to intense patient/student needs, chronic understaffing, and exposure to trauma. Other highly impacted sectors include Leisure & Hospitality, Agriculture, and roles in Finance, IT, and Transportation, often linked to irregular schedules, financial pressure, and high-stakes environments.
 

Mental Health Careers: More Than Just Psychologists

27 related questions found

What is the unhappiest career?

There's no single "unhappiest job," as it varies by study, but recent reports often point to pharmacy roles (technicians/workers) and delivery/postal services (mail carriers) due to long hours, stress, and feeling underappreciated, while older data highlights security officers, registered nurses, and teachers for low satisfaction scores, often linked to poor compensation, demanding work, and lack of control, with general themes of physically demanding, customer-facing, or highly stressful roles appearing frequently. 

What is the 42% rule for burnout?

The "42% rule for burnout" suggests dedicating roughly 10 hours (42%) of your 24-hour day to rest and recovery—sleep, stress-reducing activities, hobbies, movement, and connection—to combat chronic stress and prevent burnout, a concept popularized by health scientist Amelia Nagoski. It's a science-backed guideline emphasizing that true productivity requires balancing work with non-negotiable downtime for recharging, rather than just pushing through constant busyness. 

What is the hardest job mentally?

Among the top ten are several health care related occupations:

  • Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates.
  • Urologists.
  • Acute Care Nurses.
  • Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses.
  • First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers.
  • First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers.
  • Nurse Anesthetists.
  • Nurse Midwives.

Which profession has the happiest people?

17 of the happiest jobs

  1. Physician. National average salary: $217,850 per year Primary duties: Physicians, or doctors, provide physical, mental and emotional care to patients. ...
  2. Software engineer. ...
  3. Software developer. ...
  4. Real estate agent. ...
  5. Sales representative. ...
  6. Logistics manager. ...
  7. Fitness instructor. ...
  8. Executive assistant.

What is the most unhappy medical specialty?

According to the 2024 Medscape Physician Burnout & Depression Report, 63% of emergency medicine doctors have felt burned out—the most of any specialty—and they're followed by OB-GYNs (53%), oncologists (53%), and pediatricians (51%).

What is the hardest personality to live with?

According to psychology, there are specific personality types that are notoriously difficult to live with. These can include the passive-aggressive communicator, the relentless critic, or the energy-draining pessimist. However, recognizing these traits is the first step toward managing the stress they cause.

What is the #1 most diagnosed mental disorder?

The #1 most diagnosed mental disorder category is Anxiety Disorders, affecting millions worldwide and encompassing conditions like Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety Disorder, and Phobias, with millions experiencing them annually, far surpassing depression and other conditions in prevalence. While Major Depressive Disorder is also very common, anxiety disorders consistently rank as the most prevalent mental health diagnosis in the U.S. and globally, according to sources like the NIH, WHO, and CDC.
 

At what age does BPD usually start?

Borderline personality disorder usually begins by early adulthood. The condition is most serious in young adulthood. Mood swings, anger and impulsiveness often get better with age. But the main issues of self-image and fear of being abandoned, as well as relationship issues, go on.

What job pays $400,000 a year without a degree?

Yes, jobs paying $400,000 without a degree exist, notably Walmart Supercenter Managers, who can earn that much with bonuses and stock, but other paths include high-stakes sales, software development, commercial real estate, skilled trades (like power plant operators), and successful entrepreneurship/influencing, all requiring expertise and performance over formal education. 

What job has the highest PTSD rate?

PTSD is particularly prevalent among certain occupational groups, such as police officers, firefighters, medical workers and military personnel, all of whom can experience events that might trigger PTSD.

What is the most unhealthy job?

There isn't one single "unhealthiest" job, but roles in healthcare (dentists, nurses, EMTs, radiologists), transportation (flight attendants, material handlers), and industrial settings (metal refiners, chemical operators) consistently rank high due to risks like infectious disease, radiation, stress, contaminants, and physical strain, with dentists often topping lists for disease exposure and sitting risks. Factors like burnout, hazardous materials, radiation, and prolonged sitting contribute to the poor health outcomes in these professions.
 

What job makes $10,000 a month without a degree?

You can earn $10,000 a month without a degree in high-skill trades (elevator tech, electrician), sales (solar, real estate, insurance), specialized trucking (owner-operator), tech roles (web dev, drone pilot), or by starting your own business/freelancing in areas like content creation or digital marketing, often requiring specialized training, certifications, or strong commission-based performance rather than a traditional degree. 

What is the #1 dream job?

The number one dream job globally, based on recent studies analyzing search trends, is a Pilot, appealing for travel and competitive pay, while in the U.S., it can vary, with roles like Flight Attendant or Real Estate Agent appearing high, and other popular dreams include Attorney, Nurse, Police Officer.
 

What profession makes $300,000 a year?

Jobs paying $300k/year are typically in specialized fields like medicine (surgeons, anesthesiologists), law (big law partners), finance (investment banking, private equity), and high-level tech (principal software architects, senior engineering/product management), requiring significant education, experience, or specialized skills, though some roles in sales, skilled trades, or entrepreneurship can also reach this level. Roles often involve advanced degrees (MD, JD, MBA), high responsibility, or performance-based compensation, with top earners often being specialists or executives. 

Which jobs have no stress?

FAQs about high-paying jobs with low stress

Librarian, archivist, technical writer and data analyst roles tend to be quieter with minimal interpersonal conflict. These positions let you work methodically without constant interruptions or high-pressure deadlines.

What jobs pay $400 an hour?

400 per hour jobs

  • Journeyman Electrician $36.28 - $43.19 per hour ** NO TRAVEL REQUIRED. ...
  • LPN - Licensed Practical Nurse - FT FLEX. ...
  • LPN - Licensed Practical Nurse - FT Nights/Weekends. ...
  • LPN - Licensed Practical Nurse - FT Nights. ...
  • LPN Long Term Care (LTC) (Straight Nights) ...
  • LPN/RN LTC (PT Night)

What career has the highest burnout?

Jobs with the highest burnout rates consistently involve high emotional demands, long hours, and critical decision-making, with Healthcare (nurses, doctors, social workers), Education (teachers), and First Responders (EMTs, police) topping lists due to intense patient/student needs, chronic understaffing, and exposure to trauma. Other highly impacted sectors include Leisure & Hospitality, Agriculture, and roles in Finance, IT, and Transportation, often linked to irregular schedules, financial pressure, and high-stakes environments.
 

Can I get fired for burnout?

Unfortunately, while you can't be fired for burnout, you can be fired for poor job performance.

What are the 3 R's of burnout?

The 3 R's of burnout are generally Recognize, Reverse, and Resilience, forming a strategy to identify warning signs, take action to undo damage (like stress management), and build long-term adaptability through self-care (exercise, sleep, nutrition) to prevent future episodes. Other variations include Relax, Reflect, Regroup or Recognize, Respond, Replenish, all focusing on awareness, action, and recovery.
 

What are the five stages of burnout?

The 5 stages of burnout progress from initial enthusiasm to a final state of deep exhaustion and apathy, typically including the Honeymoon Phase (excitement), Onset of Stress (enthusiasm wanes, stress appears), Chronic Stress (persistent alertness, cynicism), Burnout (exhaustion, detachment, physical symptoms), and Habitual Burnout (deep, embedded mental/physical collapse, hopelessness). Recognizing these stages helps in early intervention to prevent severe negative impacts on mental, physical, and emotional health.