Stress-related and psychological disorders

Summary

• In 2008/09 an estimated 415 000 individuals in Britain, who worked in the last year, believed that they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill (prevalence), according to the Labour Force Survey (LFS table SWIT3W12).
• The 2009 Psychosocial Working Conditions (PWC) survey indicated that around 16.7% of all working individuals thought their job was very or extremely stressful.
• The annual incidence of work-related mental health problems in Britain in 2008, as estimated from the THOR surveillance schemes OPRA and SOSMI, was approximately 5,126 new cases per year. However, this almost certainly underestimates the true incidence of these conditions in the British workforce.
• According to self-reports from the LFS an estimated 230 000 people, who worked in the last 12 months, first became aware of work-related stress (incidence), depression or anxiety in 2008/09, giving an annual incidence rate of 760 cases per 100 000 workers (Table SWIT6W12).
• Estimates from the LFS indicate that self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety accounted for an estimated 11.4 million lost working days in Britain in 2008/09 (Table SWIT1)
• LFS survey data suggests the incidence rate of self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety has been broadly level over the years 2001/02 to 2008/09, with the exception of 2001/02 where the incidence rate was higher than the current level.
• THOR surveillance data shows a mixed picture with psychiatrist reports of work-related mental health remaining stable between 2000 and 2008 but occupational physician reports showing a clear upward trend over this time period. The ONS omnibus survey shows no overall trend in the proportion of people saying their job was very or extremely stressful between 2004 and 2009.
• THOR surveillance data from General Practitioners indicates that 30.9% of all diagnoses of work-related ill-health are cases of mental ill-health, with an average length of sickness absence per certified case of 26.8 working days (Table THORGP01).
• Occupation groups containing teachers, nurses, and housing and welfare officers,  customer service workers, and certain professional and managerial groups have high prevalence rates of self-reported work-related stress according to the LFS.  The LFS also shows people working within public administration and defence to have high prevalence rates of self-reported work-related stress.
• The THOR datasets SOSMI and OPRA also report high incidence rates of work-related mental illness for these occupational groups, along with medical practitioners and those in public sector security based occupations such as police officers, prison officers, and UK armed forces personnel.