Research: Stress: are we coping?

The Mental Health Foundation has released a research report into the prevalence of stress in the UK and its implications.

Key findings

• Over the past year, almost three quarters of people have at some point felt so stressed that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
• The number of people experiencing work-related stress, as well as mental health problems such as anxiety, or depression in the UK has remained broadly stable since 2006/07.
• Work-related stress in 2016/17 accounted for an average of 23.9 work days lost for every person affected. It has been estimated that around 15 per cent of people at work have a mental health condition.

The survey makes a series of recommendations to help reduce stress, including ensuring that employers treat physical and psychological hazards in the workplace equally and that they recognise and address psychological hazards in the workplace.

The survey, commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation and undertaken by YouGov, polled 4,169 adults in the UK in 2018.