Third of education professionals suffer from depression or anxiety

Thirty-two per cent of education professionals are suffering from mental health issues, new research shows.

This is with nearly half (45.4 per cent) saying their job is a key reason to these feelings, according to research from CV-Library.

As the post-Christmas blues set in and the cold days continue, the survey of 1,200 workers sought to reveal how mental health affects workers this Blue Monday.

The study found that for 83.9 per cent of education professionals that suffer, their depression or anxiety can sometimes have a negative effect on their working life, while a further 16.1 per cent said it always negatively impacts their working life.

Top reasons for feeling this way included education professionals doubting their abilities (38 per cent); not getting on with the boss (19 per cent); working with customers and clients (16.7 per cent); being scared of senior members of staff (14.3 per cent); and working alone (9.5 per cent).

When asked what it is about their job that makes them feel this way, education professionals cited the following as the top causes:

Education professionals also revealed the negative impact that depression and anxiety has on their ability to do their job.

For the majority (60 per cent) it makes them feel tired. After this, 20 per cent say it means they take a lot of time off.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library comments on the findings: “ While mental health is something we are beginning to talk more about across the UK, it’s clear that there’s still more that needs to be done to help those affected – especially in the workplace.

“It’s sad to learn that almost a third of education professionals are suffering from depression and/or anxiety, and that this is having such a negative impact on their ability to do their job.

The survey also found that 24 per cent of education professionals revealed that their employer does not do anything to help those that suffer from these mental health issues, and a further 46.9 per cent said that they were unsure whether their boss would help them if they needed it.