The costs of stress and mental ill health

The human costs

The health effects of stress are very well documented. Work-related stress is a major factor in the development of heart disease and diabetes, according to researchers involved in the Whitehall II study (see below).

Stress-related problems include mood disturbance, psychological distress, sleep disturbance, upset stomach, headache, and problems in relationships with family and friends.

The effects of job stress on chronic diseases are more difficult to ascertain because they develop over relatively long periods of time and are influenced by many factors other than stress. Nonetheless, there is some evidence that stress plays a role in the development of several types of chronic health problems — including cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders and psychological disorders.

www.ucl.ac.uk/whitehallII/pdf/Whitehallbooklet_1_.pdf

The organisational costs

The HSE reports that work-related stress caused 10.4 million lost working days in 2011-12 based on the LFS data. On average, each person suffering from this condition took 24 days off work. It says that this is one of the highest average days lost per case figure amongst the recognised health complaints covered in the LFS.

Based on their annual absence survey, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and Simply Health estimate that the annual cost of work-related stress to businesses is around £13 billion a year.

The mental health charity MIND says that British businesses lose an estimated £26 billion each year in sickness absence and lost productivity. It says that with greater awareness and mental health support, businesses could save £8 billion a year.

A recent survey by office provider Business Environment found that a fifth of workers in Britain have had to take time off work because of the stress of their jobs. The poll identified difficult deadlines, management pressure and a lack of support as the main reasons for workplace stress.

And a study commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found that mental health problems experienced by working people, including depression, anxiety and stress, are the most commonly stated illnesses for sickness absence in GP Fit Notes.

Among the main findings of the research, published in June 2013 and undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies and the University of Liverpool to assess the impact of “fit notes”, was that mild-to-moderate mental health disorders (M-MMDs) are increasing — over a third of all fit notes issued (35%) related to these disorders.

The research, Evaluation of the statement of fitness for work (fit note): quantitative survey of fit notes, was based on 49 GP practices across Britain and collected data on 58,700 fit notes between October 2011 and January 2013. It found that mental health conditions were the most commonly specified conditions for sickness absence and that one in 10 employees who had a mental health condition did not return to work. The study also found that female patients were more likely than men to receive a fit note for M-MMDs and that younger patients were more likely to suffer from the disorders than older people.

In February 2014, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported that mental health issues cost the UK around £70 billion every year, roughly 4.5% of GDP, in lost productivity at work, benefit payments and health care expenditure.

It says that both employers and the health system need better policies and practices to help people deal with mental health issues and get back to work.

The report, Mental health and work: The United Kingdom, says that around one million claimants on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and as many on Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and other working-age benefits, have a mental disorder such as anxiety and depression that is harming their prospects of finding work.

It says that acting early is the best way to prevent poor mental health leading to benefit dependency, when people are still at work as well as early on during the sick leave period. The report also says that the figure of 370,000 Britons who move onto disability benefit every year (1% of the working-age population), represents the highest rate in the developed world and twice the OECD average. The leading cause for such benefit claims is mental illness, now accounting for around 40% of all new claims.

The OECD’s recommendations include ensuring that the new Health and Work Service, due to start in April 2014, is implemented quickly and universally, with a strong focus on mental health and those still in work, and with much stronger involvement of employers.