Mental Ill-Health ‘Costs The Economy Billions’

More than 10m working days were lost through stress, depression and anxiety last year, according to a report. Mental ill-health cost the economy billions a year, with the biggest problems reported by workers in public administration, education and health, insurance firm UnumProvident said.

Younger people were least likely to make an insurance claim for mental ill-health, with the largest group of claimants aged between 55 and 59, said the report. The number of insurance claims linked to mental and behavioural problems has increased by over 5% every year since 2000, it was found.

“The report clearly illustrates the extent to which mental ill-health is impacting on the UK economy as well as the lives of individuals, their families and their work colleagues,” said Joanne Hindle.

“This research suggests that a relatively small investment on early intervention and rehabilitation has commensurate benefits, providing hope and belief for individuals, and financial benefits for the UK.”