More and more people are taking time off work for their mental health. This is not a small trend anymore. Bloomberg reported that 67% of U.S. employers have seen a rise in mental health related leaves of absence and accommodation requests. For large employers, that number goes up to 74%. That is a huge number of businesses feeling this shift at the same time.
At The Brain Performance Center in Dallas, TX, we work with people every single day who are dealing with anxiety, ADHD, depression, and burnout. Many of them are working professionals. Many of them are leaders themselves. And what we see over and over again is this: by the time someone asks for mental health leave, their brain has usually been struggling quietly for a long time before that.
This blog is written for leaders, managers, HR teams, and business owners who want to understand what is really happening when mental health leave requests go up. It is also for anyone who wants to learn how the brain works under stress, and what can be done before things reach a breaking point.
Why Mental Health Leave Is Rising So Fast
There is no single reason why more people are stepping away from work for mental health reasons. But there are patterns we see again and again.
Work today asks a lot from the brain. People are expected to answer emails at all hours, switch between tasks quickly, sit in back to back meetings, and make fast decisions with very little time to think. This kind of constant demand puts a huge load on the brain’s ability to focus, regulate emotions, and make good choices.
The brain was not built to run at full speed all day, every day, without rest. When it is pushed too hard for too long, it starts to show signs of strain. Some people feel this as anxiety. Some feel it as sadness or low motivation. Some feel it as trouble focusing or forgetfulness. Some feel it as trouble sleeping. All of these are ways the brain is asking for a break.
The rise in mental health leave is not proof that people are weaker than before. It is proof that more people are finally speaking up about something that was always there, but used to be hidden.
This Is Not Just an Employee Wellness Issue
A lot of companies treat mental health leave as a personal problem. Something that belongs to the employee alone. But that view misses the bigger picture.
When many employees in the same company start needing time off for their mental health, that is not just about individual struggles. That is a sign that something in the workplace itself may be adding to the problem.
This is not simply an employee wellness issue. It is a leadership, culture, and organizational performance issue.
Leaders often ask, what is wrong with this employee? A better question is, what is this workplace asking of the brain, and is that ask too much?
What the Brain Needs to Perform Well
To understand why mental health leave is rising, it helps to understand what the brain actually needs in order to work well.
| What the Brain Needs | Why It Matters |
| Rest and recovery time | The brain repairs and resets during downtime, not during constant activity |
| Predictable routines | Uncertainty and constant change raise stress hormones |
| Clear expectations | Confusion forces the brain to work harder just to figure out what is being asked |
| Time to focus on one task | Constant switching drains mental energy faster than deep, focused work |
| A sense of safety | Fear of punishment or judgment shuts down clear thinking |
| Connection with others | Isolation increases stress and lowers resilience |
When workplaces do not offer these basic things, the brain has to work overtime just to keep up. Over weeks and months, this wears people down. Eventually, some people reach a point where they cannot keep going without stepping away completely.
Look Beyond the Leave Request
When an employee reaches the point where they need to take leave, it is easy for leaders to see this as the start of the problem. But it is usually the end result of something that has been building for a while.
Leaders must look beyond the leave request and ask what the workplace may be demanding of the brain.
This means asking harder questions.
- Is this person’s workload realistic for one human being to manage?
- Are deadlines set with enough time, or are they set to create pressure?
- Does this employee feel safe telling their manager when they are struggling?
- Is there a culture of long hours being seen as a badge of honor?
- Are people praised for working through exhaustion instead of resting?
These questions are not comfortable, but they are necessary. A company that only reacts after someone breaks down is always going to be behind. A company that asks these questions early can catch problems before they turn into a leave request.
Common Signs the Brain Is Under Too Much Pressure
Most people do not wake up one day and suddenly need mental health leave. There are usually warning signs that show up weeks or months before that point. Leaders and managers who know what to look for can step in early.
Here are some signs that someone’s brain may be carrying too much stress.
- Trouble concentrating or making decisions that used to feel easy
- Forgetting small tasks or details more often than usual
- Becoming irritable or short tempered in situations that would not normally bother them
- Pulling away from coworkers or team conversations
- Trouble sleeping, or sleeping but still feeling tired
- Missing deadlines that were never missed before
- Seeming flat, tired, or low energy even after rest
- Increased sick days or last minute time off requests
None of these signs alone means someone is in crisis. But when several of these show up together, and they continue for weeks, it is worth checking in.
Why Speaking Up Early Is So Hard
Many employees do not speak up about mental health struggles until they have no other choice. There is usually a reason for this, and it is rarely because they do not care about their job.
Stigma is still a big barrier. Many people worry that admitting they are struggling will make them look weak, unreliable, or less capable in the eyes of their manager. They worry it could affect a promotion, a raise, or how they are seen by their team.
Some people simply do not know where to turn. If a company has no clear process for mental health support, employees are left to figure it out on their own, often while already feeling overwhelmed.
And some people have been taught, by past workplaces or even by family, that struggling is something you push through quietly rather than something you talk about.
Supporting mental health means creating environments where people can speak up earlier, access support without stigma, and protect their capacity to think clearly, adapt, make decisions, and perform.
This kind of environment does not build itself. It takes intentional effort from leadership.
What Leaders Can Do Differently
Preventing burnout and reducing the need for mental health leave does not require a complete overhaul of a company. It starts with small, steady changes in how leaders lead.
Model healthy behavior yourself. If leaders send emails at midnight, employees will feel pressure to answer at midnight too. If leaders take real breaks and talk openly about balance, employees feel permission to do the same.
Check in regularly, not just during reviews. A simple, honest question like “how are you doing, really?” can open the door for someone to share before things get worse.
Build in recovery time. Constant back to back meetings and non stop deadlines do not allow the brain to reset. Building in short breaks and reasonable timelines protects focus and decision making.
Make support easy to find. Employees should not have to dig through a handbook to figure out what mental health resources are available to them.
Train managers to notice early signs. Frontline managers are often the first to see changes in someone’s behavior. Giving them basic training on what to look for and how to respond can make a real difference.
Normalize talking about mental health. When leadership talks about mental health openly, without shame or judgment, it sends a message that it is safe to bring these topics forward.
The Cost of Waiting Too Long
Some leaders worry that focusing on mental health will slow down productivity. In reality, the opposite is usually true.
| Waiting Until Leave Is Needed | Supporting the Brain Early |
| Employee performance drops for weeks or months before anyone notices | Small dips in performance are caught and addressed quickly |
| Team morale suffers as coworkers cover extra work | Workload stays balanced across the team |
| Company loses skilled, trained employees to burnout | Employees stay engaged and loyal longer |
| Trust in leadership weakens | Trust in leadership grows |
| Recovery from full burnout can take months | Small course corrections take days or weeks |
A brain that is supported early can keep performing well for years. A brain that is pushed past its limit often needs much longer to recover, and sometimes never fully returns to the same role or company.
How The Brain Performance Center Supports This Work
At The Brain Performance Center in Dallas, TX, our focus is on the brain itself, not just the symptoms someone is experiencing. We use tools like Neurofeedback, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Biofeedback, and Executive Function Training to help the brain regulate stress, focus better, and recover its natural balance.
We work with individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other challenges that often show up first as struggles at work. We also work with people who are not in crisis yet, but who want to protect their focus, decision making, and mental clarity before things become overwhelming.
Anxiety often shows up as constant worry or feeling on edge. This comes from an overactive stress response in the brain. By training the brain to respond differently to stress, calm and clarity become possible again.
Depression often shows up as low energy, disconnection, or feeling like you are just going through the motions. By strengthening the brain’s ability to feel motivation and reward, people can rebuild energy and engagement in their work and life.
ADHD affects focus and follow through, but it is rooted in how the brain processes attention. With the right training, prioritizing tasks and staying consistent becomes much more manageable.
Our approach is personalized to each person, because every brain is different, and every workplace situation is different too.
A Culture That Protects the Brain Protects the Business
The numbers are rising. The question is whether leaders are paying attention.
Mental health leave is not going away. If anything, more employees will continue to speak up as stigma slowly decreases. Leaders who see this as a warning sign, rather than an inconvenience, are the ones who will build stronger, more resilient teams.
Protecting cognitive capacity means protecting the ability of your team to think clearly, solve problems, adapt to change, and stay engaged in their work. It starts with leadership asking better questions, building better systems, and creating a culture where people do not have to reach a breaking point before they get support.
If you are a leader in Dallas looking to better understand how brain health affects performance, culture, and retention, The Brain Performance Center is here to help. Our team works with individuals and organizations to build the kind of mental clarity and resilience that supports both people and business outcomes.
Set up your free consultation today by calling us at 214-329-9017, or filling out our online contact form. Let’s build a workplace culture that protects the brain, before leave becomes the only option.