Over half of companies with more than 200 employees have reported workers experiencing mental health problems, a study by the Richmond Foundation shows.

The study by the NGO compared data from 2013 with that of the following year, to obtain an insight into employers’ perspectives on mental health issues.

The study shows an 11.2 per cent increase in the number of reported cases when compared to the previous study.

The Foundation also found that the number of instances of reported cases increased depending on the size of the company.

27.8 per cent of companies with 10 to 49 employees and 27.5 per cent of companies with 50 to 249 employees encountered such cases in the last two years

“Findings show that 27.8 per cent of companies with 10 to 49 employees and 27.5 per cent of companies with 50 to 249 employees encountered such cases in the last two years,” the Foundation said.

Furthermore, results also showed that 50 per cent of companies with over 240 employees encountered more than four cases of mental health problems during the period under review.

The findings show that depression was the most common mental health problem encountered, accounting for up to 54 per cent of responses. Stress followed with 46.3 per cent, while anxiety issues increased by four per cent to 23.2 per cent.

To establish the authenticity of these cases, the Foundation sought to identify whether the cases had actually been diagnosed by a medical doctor, of which over 42 per cent were. The majority of companies reported that the mental health problems mainly resulted from personal issues.

Over seven per cent of the cases were due to work-related problems, the study found. Of these, close to 40 per cent blamed the type of work carried out as a potential trigger of mental health problems while 25 per cent attributed this to excessive pressure by superiors.

While the foundation discovered that the concept of a mental health policy was “still remote”, it noted that although the majority of businesses, over 61 per cent, stated they were not aware of mental health policies, an increase of 15 per cent was registered in awareness on mental health.

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