A corporate mental health program has found that one third of program participants were suffering from some form of mental illness.
Results from the Australia’s Biggest Mental Health Check-In, The Cornerstone of the New Medibio Corporate Health Offering showed that 36 per cent of participants were suffering from depression, 33 per cent from anxiety, and 31 per cent from stress.
The program included approximately 3500 employees across 41 organisations from a range of industries – including engineering consultants – and was conducted by mental health technology leader, Medibio. It synthesised responses from 100 profiling questions, as well as capturing heart-rate data using wearable devices during sleep – to provide a new, more objective understanding of employee mental health.
Medibio SVP of Corporate Health, Psychologist, and Check-in program Creator, Peta Slocombe, said, “A decade ago, one in five Australians were found to be suffering from a mental illness in any given year.
“The manner in which we all live, work and interact has changed radically since then – to the detriment of our mental health. And yet organisational approaches to mental health have not kept pace. It is now vital for all organisations, from government to business, to change the way they address this major societal challenge.”
Further key findings include:
- Depression is now the greatest issue impacting Australians who participated. Australia’s last official figures in 2007 list anxiety (14.4 per cent) as more than twice as common as depression (6.2 per cent)
- Most people did not realise they had a mental health disorder. 73 per cent of men who scored in clinical ranges for a mental health disorder were unaware they had one at the time of the survey, or previously. This compares to 58 per cent of women
- Most people, even in severe ranges, were not seeking help. Of those in moderate to severe ranges, only 17 per cent of were engaged in any form of treatment
- Mental illness is still considered too difficult to raise with a manager. Less than half (47 per cent) of Australians are comfortable disclosing a mental health condition to a manager
- Medibio’s biometric assessment showed that 40 per cent of scans completed were indicative of autonomic nervous system disruption, with men more than 2/3rd as likely to have a more severe scan reading than women
- Female perfectionism and self-criticism are strongly linked to anxiety. 33 per cent of women are in high ranges for perfectionism, compared to 21 per cent of men. 44 per cent of females use self-criticism as a primary stress response, compared to 34 per cent of men
- Men are at risk of appearing “ok”, until they’re not ok. Men have low emotional expression when stressed, and are less likely to seek social supports. Trying to ‘problem solve’ alone are hallmarks of corporate males surrounding their mental health
