New evidence to suggest that the economic downturn is continuing to have an effect on stress related absence has emerged.

The study from The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has revealed that 50% of firms in the public sector have reported a rise in stress related absences in the past year.

The main causes cited for absences were organisational changes such as staff numbers potentially being reduced, workloads increasing and worries about job security.

Jill Miller from The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development commented: “As well as finding that there is an increase in stress related absence at the moment, and that is linked to the amount of change and organisation restructuring that’s happening, we’ve also found an increase in mental health issues that are being reported”.

The survey revealed that it was the employers who were planning to make redundancies who were more likely to report higher levels of mental health concerns among their employees.

The report is calling upon companies to put in place strategies for counselling which could be of benefit to those who are feeling the strain and require some extra support.

If you are suffering from stress in the workplace a counsellor could provide you with a confidential outlet for your feelings. To find out how counselling could help you, please visit our stress fact-sheet to find out more, or visit the homepage and use the search tool to locate a professional in your area.

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Charity workers, church congregations and town residents alike have been offering their services and support to riot victims throughout London, Birmingham and Manchester, all of whom were hit by rioting, looting and arson last week.

Volunteers have been feeding the police and council workers who were operating the clean ups by giving them sandwiches and drinks, whilst donations of clothes, books, toys and utensils have been made to help those that lost their homes and possessions in fires started by rioters.

An appeal in support of 89 year old barber, Aaron Biber, whose north London based shop was destroyed in the chaos has already raised an astonishing £25,000 since the incident.

The British Red Cross have been giving out vouchers to those who lost their homes and belongings throughout Croydon, which can be exchanged in British Red Cross shops for clothing or other items.

In another part of Croydon the Neighbourhood Care Association were taking in donations of household items, utensils, food and toiletries for the victims.

In Tottenham, north London, where the violence originated just over a week ago, community centres have been overwhelmed by the number of donations, some of which came from local supermarkets, the Salvation Army and Job Centre Plus who are offering legal, insurance and housing advice.

If you have been affected by the riots and would like to talk to a qualified counsellor about your experiences in confidence, please visit the homepage and use the search tool to locate a professional in your local area.

View the original Telegraph article.

According to recent research, women who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) whilst pregnant are at an increased risk of giving birth to a smaller baby.

A US study conducted at the University of Michigan and involving over 800 women has revealed a link between PTSD and giving birth to a smaller than average baby.

Those who were monitored for the study were a combination of women who had suffered a traumatic event but had not yet gone onto develop psychological symptoms, and women who considered themselves to have no major stresses.

The results of the study showed that babies born to women with the anxiety disorder weighed an average of half a pound less than those born to mothers who did not suffer a trauma.

Lead researcher and Professor of Nursing at the University of Michigan, Julia Seng, explained that almost half of the women involved in the study were African American.

She went onto say that birth figures show African American mothers are 70% more likely to give birth to a premature baby than any other race.

“Therefore PTSD, which is treatable and affects African Americans more widely, may be an additional explanation for adverse perinatal outcomes.

“It is essential that outcomes are improved in this high-risk group of women. Maternity care needs to take traumatic stress into account with awareness being raised amongst health workers.” She said.

Professor Seng hopes that the research will encourage specialised care and screenings for mothers-to-be suffering from the condition.

If you are pregnant and suffering from stress it is important that you take steps to minimise this in order to ensure both you and your baby stay healthy and well. To find out about how counselling is able to help stress and post traumatic stress, please visit our fact-sheets for further information.

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The charity’s Taking Care of Business campaign found that an alarming number of employees believe they could face the sack for admitting they feel stressed or depressed.

Of those surveyed 41 per cent said they considered stress to be a taboo subject and 46 per cent said they felt that taking time off for stress was seen as an excuse for something else.

Staff were afraid to openly discuss stress in the workplace as they felt this could put them to the top of the list for job cuts and redundancies. Unfortunately there concerns were not unfounded, with 22 per cent of those who had disclosed a mental health concern to their boss in a previous role having been sacked or forced from their jobs.

In a bid to end workplace discrimination Mind are calling for the implementation of the following:

Employers to encourage open and supportive work environments, where employees can discuss mental health without fear of discrimination

Employers to treat mental health problems with the same importance as physical health problems

Employers to ensure protecting mental health is embedded in change management, in order to manage extra pressure on remaining staff

Businesses of all sizes to make supporting staff wellbeing a corporate priority

Businesses to introduce workplace mental health policies that promote wellbeing for all staff, tackle work-related mental health problems and support staff who are experiencing mental distress.

For full details of the study please visit Mind and to read a related article about how mental health discrimination is costing businesses billions please view the counselling directory blog archive.

According to a recent survey conducted by Post Office Travel Insurance, heavy workloads and long working hours mean that the average Brit now needs six holidays every year to avoid becoming ill, anxious or aggressive.

Whilst a week in a UK holiday park or a few days camping by the seaside used to be enough to please our ancestors,  a quarter of todays workers now feel so pressured at work that they are ‘desperate’ to getaway every few weeks.

The survey revealed that in order to stay focused at work we need to take ourselves on a break at least every 62 days, with those who wait longer than two months standing an increased risk of becoming anxious, aggressive and ill.

However, understandably work and home commitments mean that very few of us are able to take a short break every couples of months, with almost half (44 per cent) going without a holiday for half a year or more.

Though some individuals do take a while to let their stresses and strains go, the majority find they feel more relaxed as soon as they begin their getaway with over 50 per cent of those surveyed feeling ‘fully refreshed’ after just one or two days away from the office.

Organisational psychology and health professor, Cary Cooper, has said that redundancies across the country have led to the number of employees falling in workplaces but not the workload. This means that as a result, many employees are working harder and longer for no extra benefits.

‘People who fail to go on holiday are more likely to become anxious, aggressive and withdrawn. They may also develop aches and pains and struggle to sleep. Over-working depresses your immune system, making it more likely you will catch a cold or the flu.’ She said.

View the original Daily Mail article.

Discrimination and stigma in the workplace can prevent employees with depression from seeking help and can end up costing the economy billions, reports the Independent.

According to a recent survey conducted by mental health charity Mind, a huge number of workers feel that they are unable to discuss their mental health concerns with colleagues or employers.

The Taking care of business campaign which was published yesterday, revealed that 1 in 5 people thought that mentioning their stress levels at work would put them to the top of the redundancy list.

The survey of over 2000 workers also revealed that 41 per cent of the employees surveyed were currently stressed or very stressed in their jobs, 48 per cent were concerned about taking time of work sick and 7 in 10 said their boss wouldn’t help them to cope with stress.

According to the Centre for Mental Health (CMH) last year the financial effects of mental illness in the workplace reached £26bn, an indicator that more needs to be done by employers to prevent workers from falling into a downward spiral of anxiety and depression.

Mind is now campaigning to challenge this stigma in the workplace and wants employers to begin identifying and supporting staff who are struggling with either stress or mental health problems.

Mind spokeswoman Amy Whitlock commented that mental health problems still remain the elephant in the room. ”Poor communication fuels the problem because if your boss or manager doesn’t even ask how you are, how could you possibly approach them about anything more sensitive? There is still a culture of denial which means employees are afraid to speak out because they fear discrimination or being thought of as weak, and employers are afraid to broach the subject in case they make things worse”. She said.

CMH chief executive, Andy Bell has said that the message of openness must come from the top but managers and supervisors are also key to the process as they are the ones who will spot signs of employees under performing. CMH’s new report Managing Presenteeism will show employers how to detect mental health problems early on as well as recommending better support. The report is to be published later this month.

For further information about Mind and their services please visit www.mind.org.uk and for information about counselling for depression, stress , anxiety and career counselling please visit our fact-sheets.

Alina Rodriguez, a researcher from the Institute of Psychiatry Kings College London studied over 1,700 women and their children and found that mothers who were stressed during their pregnancy, or who had experienced a bereavement or breakdown in a relationship stood double the risk of having a child who was ‘mixed handed’ at the age of five.

Mixed-handed individuals use one hand for tasks such as drawing and writing and the other for actives such as throwing a ball. Not to be confused with ambidextrous individuals who are equally as proficient with both hands, mix-handed people are not.

Children exposed to stress whilst in the womb also stood a higher chance of suffering from ADHD and various emotional problems such as tempers. These children also found it difficult to interact and get along with other children

Though experts are unsure of exactly how stress can have an impact on an unborn baby, it is thought that the high levels of stress hormones in the womb affect the development of a baby’s brain.

Dr Rodriguez has stressed that pregnant women should not be alarmed by the risk and instead they should try to put their stress into perspective and continue going about their business in a relaxed manner.

In response to the findings an ADHD charity said that there has long since been a need for more support for pregnant women, espcially now as more women than ever before are having to work through their pregnancy.

‘We need to ensure that pregnant women get access to a lot more support’, commented Andrea Bilbow, of the National Attention Deficit  Disorder Information and Support Service.

For information about how counselling can help to relieve stress please visit our fact-sheet.

View the original Daily Mail article.

We already know there has been a huge increase in the number of individuals seeking debt advice during unsocial hours, but now even more recent research has revealed that financial insecurity could be fuelling a rise in depression among Brits.

According to figures obtained by the BBC, the number of prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs such as prozac have increased by more than 40 per cent during the past four years.

Charities and health professionals alike believe part of the reason could be linked to individuals feeling pressured by job insecurities and an increase in financial strain.

Chief executive of the charity Depression Alliance UK, Emer O’Neill, said: “There is an increase in the number of people suffering from depression certainly, and the economic downturn has had an impact on that.

However, she also commented that part of the increase could be attributed to the stigma of depression having lifted significantly during the past few years, with individuals now having access to better information than ever before and with more and more people feeling comfortable enough to come forward and talk about mental health.

The sharp rise saw referrals for talking therapies rise four-fold last year and has prompted the government to increase access to therapies which would slow the demand for antidepressants.

According to figures from the NHS Prescription Services, the number of prescriptions for selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors rose by 43 per cent to just under 23 million a year between 2006 and 2010. The same figures also showed an increase in the prescriptions of various other drugs.

Paul Burstow, care services minister has said that the recession has left many facing difficult financial times, but if they do experience any mental health problems the NHS is well placed to help.

“We’re boosting funding for talking therapies by £400m over the next four years. This will ensure that modern, evidence-based therapies are available to all who need them, whether their depression or anxiety are caused by economic worries or anything else.”

For further information on debt counselling and counselling for depression please visit the relevant fact-sheets. Alternatively visit our homepage and use the search tool to find a counsellor in your local area.

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The study involved tracking over 17,000 working adults from Stockholm aged under 64, between 2002 and 2007. At the beginning of the study each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire in order to determine their mental health and stress levels.

During the observation period 649 of the participants began receiving disability benefits, with 203 suffering from a mental health problem and the remaining number having been affected by physical ill health.

The researchers found that high stress levels at the beginning of the study were linked to a higher chance of individuals being awarded long term disability benefits, but surprisingly those with mild stress were also 70 per cent more likely to receive disability benefits after taking account of other factors likely to influence the results, such as lifestyle.

One out of four of these benefits was awarded for physical illness such as high blood pressure and stroke and two thirds of the benefits awarded for mental illness were attributed to stress.

The authors of the study hope their findings will be considered in the context of modern working life, which see’s a great deal of pressure placed upon employees.

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Researchers from Harvard Medical school in Boston analysed the records of over 17,400 women in their 50s and 60s, all of whom provided information about their work strains and any job insecurities they had.

What the researchers found was that women who described their roles as ‘highly stressful’ with little opportunity to use any of their creative skills, were 40 per cent more likely to develop heart disease, 43 per cent more likely to need heart surgery and a staggering 88 per cent more likely to have a heart attack than those in a relaxed role.

Additional findings included the discovery that women who were concerned about losing their job were far more at risk of being overweight and having both high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Head researcher of the study Dr Michelle Albert believes that an element of stress actually plays a positive role in our working lives, but believes we need to learn how to manage the negative aspects more effectively.

Dr Albert recommends that doctors make more of an effort to ask their female patients about their work pressures and suggests that women with high pressure jobs take precautions to protect both their physical and mental wellbeing by regularly exercising, leaving work at work and having a good support network of friends and family.

Researcher Dr Peter Kaufmann from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Maryland, said ‘This new data is among the most important to emerge in recent years concerning the relationship between job strain and cardiovascular health.’

If you are struggling to cope with the demands of your current job role and are considering either a change in direction or would be interested in learning ways to manage your job stresses, please visit our career counselling and stress counselling fact-sheets for information about how counselling may be able to help you. Alternatively, to contact a counseller in your local area to discuss this matter directly, please use the search tool located on the homepage to locate a qualified professional in your local area.

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