Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) data from benefits provider Unum revealed that 70 per cent of the 12,610 callers to the service wanted help with mental health problems.
The information, provided by Unum’s partner Lifeworks, showed that anxiety and depression were the most common of these calls (66 per cent), followed by problems caused by relationship issues (13 per cent) and bereavement (nine per cent).
Of those who used the EAP, 60 per cent of those with mental health issues were offered counselling and 92 per cent went on to see their mental health improve as a result.
Ambika Fraser, Head of Propositions at Unum, commented: ‘We took the decision to analyse and release these figures to increase awareness of the invaluable support that’s available to hundreds of thousands of UK workers.
‘We’re committed to reducing the stigma around mental health concerns and hope the high success rates will encourage more to seek help when they need it.’
The other main reasons for contacting the EAP were legal problems (14 per cent) and practical problems (14 per cent), such as caring responsibilities.
