Looking out for mental health problems at work

23 November 2001

LONDON By health-newswire.com reporters People are being urged to look after their mental health at work, after a charity warned that 3 in 10 employees will have a mental health problem in any one year.

Despite the number of people who suffer mental health problems, very few companies have an official policy on mental health, according to the Mental Health Foundation. The charity estimates that stress costs industry and business more than £3 billion a year and that 91 million working days a year are lost to mental ill health.

Ruth Lesirge, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said, “Many people are careful about what they eat and drink and how much exercise they take, but how many of us stop to check our mental health, particularly during a working day?”

The foundation is gearing up to tackle the issue during next year’s Mental Health Action Week, which will run from March 31 to April 7. It plans to release a report into the experiences of people with mental health problems.

Around 1 in 10 people are likely to have a disabling anxiety disorder at some point in their life, the foundation says, and around the same proportion will have some form of depression at any one time.

Mental health problems can include anxiety, depression, manic depression, schizophrenia and eating disorders. By 2020 it is estimated that clinical depression will be second only to chronic heart disease as an international health burden.

The foundation’s preparations include developing a web quiz to help people gauge their stress levels and explore ideas on what they can do to look after their mental health.

© Health Media Ltd 2001
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