Mental disorders are the main cause of the young and economically active population worldwide and in Brazil to live with disabilities, being an important public health problem nowadays. The objective was to estimate the burden of mental disorders among professionals working to combat endemic diseases in a state in northeastern Brazil. Medical records of workers linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Health in Ceará State and fighting endemic diseases were surveyed and, from this, a historical cohort was made. The individual quantification of absenteeism by mental disorders (ICD F-chapter referring to mental disorders) was conducted considering a period of about 35 years, from admission (the 1980s) to December 2017. The global burden of disease was measured by the YLD indicator (years lost to disability). Considering that no deaths due to mental disorders were observed, the YLL indicator (years of life lost) was composed. The high mental disorders burden in this group of workers stands out, whose mood disorders, including depression, conferred a YLD equal to 18.6. This represents just over 18 years of work lived with a disability. Our findings reinforce the need to implement surveillance and health promotion actions in workers to promote effective interventions capable of contributing to the reduction of morbidity in workers and economically active people.