Despite of all the efforts that have been made to help employees to manage stress at work statistics show that stress actually contributes to around half of all lost working days across Europe.
Studies have shown that short periods of exposure to stress are associated with reactions such as sleep disturbance, changes in mood, fatigue, headaches and stomach irritability (1). Prolonged exposure to stress has been shown to be associated with a wide range of mental and physical health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, suicide attempts, sleep problems, back pain, chronic fatigue, digestive problems, autoimmune disease, poor immune function, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and peptic ulcers. (2).
Other ‘human costs’ of stress at work include the emotional strain and reduction in quality of life experienced by family members.
Ultimately, stress will impose a significant financial burden on individuals, organisations and societies (3).
The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (2007) suggests that the overall cost to British employers of stress, anxiety and depression amounts to £1 035 per employee per year (€1 220). Of this total, £335 (€400) (32.4 %) is due to absenteeism, £605 (€710), or 58.4 %, to ‘presenteeism’ (Presenteeism is the reduction in an employees’ performance while present) and £95 to staff turnover (9.2 %).
We should not forget the cost of work related stress to stake holders either. For example, company reputation, brand and investor relations.
Parallel to this, as expected, prescription of antidepressants have been on the rise in the past decade. The consumption of antidepressants has increased by over 80% on average across EU member states in this period, among which Belgium is on the 5th place alongside Finland.
Antidepressants are not be the best choice to tackle stress related mental health problems as explained by Kelly Brogan, MD in bellow interview. She says that contrary to popular belief, depression is not typically the result of "low serotonin" levels, nor is it an imbalance that needs to be fixed with antidepressant drugs.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3TEYOzCogM
There are no studies that show a better outcome in those prescribed antidepressants long term, while side effects are well documented; long term antidepressant treatment even compromises the known benefits of exercise! Studies show that long term use of antidepressants have side effects as suicide, violence, bleeds, or even suppressed libido and sexual dysfunction, indifference (or "medication spell-binding" as Dr. Peter Breggin calls it), or weight gain and dysglycemia.
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WHAT SHALL WE DO, WHEN WE CAN'T AVOID STRESS?
Instead of treating stress with drugs, let's take a step back and listen to the body.
All of us have various signals to discover and understand.
All of us have various signals to discover and understand.
Let's connect the two hemispheres of the brain,and create harmony within body and mind!
With the Discover the Wisdom workshop we offer the best support in this personal journey.
Come and join the next session on the 16 November, 10am-1pm, in the Tree of Life Tervuren;
contact: info@nonoage.com
References:
1.Beswick et al., 2006; Chandola, 2010
2.Bosma et al., 1998; Guglielmi and Tatrow, 1998; Belkic et al., 2000; Stansfeld et al., 2000; Beswick et al., 2006; Sobeih et al., 2006; Stansfeld and Candy, 2006; Cohen, 2012
3. European Commission, 2002; EU-OSHA, 2009
