It has been estimated that 91 million working days are lost due to mental health difficulties.²⁴ Suicide accounts for about 8% of all working days lost through death.

Between five and six million working days are lost yearly due to workplace stress and its effects. The Department of Health estimates the cost of sickness absence due to stress and mental health disorders at more than £5 billion each year. Workers' compensation for stress-related mental health problems is increasing as employees are seeking compensation through the court system.²⁵

Indirect costs such as absenteeism, loss of productivity, impact on family members, and job loss account for a large part of the cost of mental ill health. It is therefore difficult to provide comprehensive and accurate estimates of the total costs involved. Most experts believe that if all indirect costs were included, the cost of mental health problems would be enormous.

Access to information and services - national strategies

Despite growing evidence that mental health is fundamental to wellbeing, mental health promotion is one of the most underdeveloped areas of health promotion in the UK. Resources available to meet the service needs of people with mental health problems, particularly severe mental health problems, are insufficient. Eighty per cent of people with diagnosed depression are treated entirely within primary health care. Up to 40% of visits to primary health care are due to common mental health disorders, second only to respiratory infections²⁶. According to the Mental Health Foundation, an extra £540 million is needed annually to provide adequate care for the severely mentally ill.²⁷.

Though a Department of Health survey indicates that popular attitudes are changing, mental health problems still arouse fear and stigma.²⁸. This may prevent people from seeking help and inhibit work organisations from developing mental health policies.²⁹ Business and industry are beginning to give priority to improving mental health in the workplace through mental health promotion and prevention. However, a 1996 survey carried out by the NGO, MIND, found that 39% of respondents had been denied a job,