Impact of work-related stress on health

[ch 2: pages 16-17]

Work-related stress can result in a range of short-term and long-term illnesses. The TUC says that if pressure is prolonged, too frequent or out of control, physical health problems can include loss of appetite, comfort eating, weight gain or loss, indigestion or heartburn, constipation or diarrhoea, sleeplessness, bouts of sweating, headaches, back pain, nausea, breathlessness, fainting spells, impotence, fatigue and eczema. Psychological conditions triggered by prolonged stress include fatigue, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, hostility and aggression, psychosomatic complaints and neuroses.

It also points out that short-term symptoms can develop into much more serious long-term ill-health conditions. Stress can play a role in problems with:

• the heart and circulation — high blood pressure, heart attack, heart disease and strokes;

• digestion — including peptic ulcers and colitis — inflammation of the bowels;

• the immune system — lowered resistance to infections, chronic asthma, chronic dermatitis and possible increased risk of cancer; and

• mental health — depression, chronic anxiety, mental breakdown, suicide and social isolation.

The coping mechanisms that people use to deal with stress, such as smoking, over consumption of alcohol and comfort eating, can themselves lead to ill-health.

Having to take time off sick can also affect workers’ pay and career prospects. The RMT says some 300,000 people with a long-term mental health condition lose their jobs each year.