Record number of female employees experience symptoms of anxiety or depression

One in three working women are experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, new figures from the mental health app Wysa have shown.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics point to one in six of us struggling with mental health, up from one in 10 prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest Health & Safety Executive report points to 914,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety, but Wysa’s latest report suggest a much greater issue.

The company’s survey found that 54 per cent of women “plough on” regardless of symptoms and only one in five reveal the real reason for their need for time off.

Unwilling to speak up, 24 per cent suffer from insomnia, 28 per cent from depression and 50 per cent experience anxiety that their employer is not aware of, the research has found.

The findings correlate with the recent Institute of Fiscal Studies report showing the number of working age new disability benefit claimants has doubled in the past year, with a third of new claims realted to mental health.

More than three quarters of working women (77 per cent) admit getting stressed about work and one third (35 per cent) start getting stressed about work the night before they start their working week.

Worryingly, half (55 per cent) of female employees who screened as suffering depression or anxiety at levels that suggest moderate to severe symptoms have not spoken to a healthcare professional.

Reports have also shown that, when facing mental health challenges, women fear taking time off, fuelling presenteeism and low productivity.

“Working females are struggling more than the average population,” said Ross O’Brien, UK managing director at Wysa.

“We owe it to our workforce to find a different solution to addressing mental health problems where the women who need some kind of support for anxiety and depression have access to it, through a tool or system that works for them.”

Deloitte has previously estimated that poor employee mental health costs UK employers between £42b and £45b each year, with presenteeism being the biggest issue.

“The fact that half of the women surveyed would rather speak to an app than their HR teams shows we need new solutions in the workplace,” said Nicky Main, UK and Europe clinical lead at Wysa.

“It demonstrates that it is important to have options available that suit not only personal preference, but also the needs people have when it comes to convenience and accessibility.”