- Over 1 in 3 (36%) working 16-65 year old working women experience anxiety symptoms and 31% depression symptoms; double the UK adult estimates
- More than half have not spoken to a healthcare professional; downplaying symptoms, embarrassment, or not wanting to be prescribed medicine prevent access to care
- More than half would rather turn to an AI Chat CBT app than a therapist, and 83% choose an app over HR
New figures from leading mental health app Wysa show that more needs to be done to support female employees. 1 in 3 (35%) working women are experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety that warrant further investigation – twice the estimated UK adult rates.Official figures point to 1 in 6 of us struggling with mental health, up from 1 in 10 prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest Health & Safety Executive report points to 914,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2021/22 – but this research suggests a much greater issue.
These findings correlate with the recent Institute of Fiscal Studies report that stated the number of working age new disability benefit claimants has doubled in the past year. Around a third of new claims were for mental health conditions.
More than three quarters of working women (77%) admit getting stressed about work and one third (35%) start getting stressed about work the night before they start their working week.
Worryingly, half (55%) of female employees who screened as suffering depression or anxiety at levels that suggest moderate to severe symptoms have not spoken to a healthcare professional. Almost half (48%) of these said it is because they don’t think it’s serious enough, versus men 1 in 3 (33%) who think the same. 1 in 4 women (25%) who need help are too embarrassed to ask for it while 1 in 5 (21%) don’t think they’d be taken seriously.
When facing mental health challenges, women fear taking time off, fuelling presenteeism and low productivity. Deloitte estimates that poor employee mental health costs UK employers £42bn – £45bn each year. And it’s presenteeism that is the biggest issue, costing £27bn to £29bn, compared to absence costs of around £7bn, and turnover costs of approximately £9bn.
Wysa’s survey found that 54% of women ‘plough one regardless of symptoms’, and only 1 in 5 (22%) reveal the real reason for their need for time off. Unwilling to speak up, 24% suffer frominsomnia, 28% depression and 50% experience anxiety that their employer doesn’t know about.
But there could be a solution out there, and an appetite for a digital option. Over 4 in 5 (85%) would prefer to turn to a mental health app, with clinically proven self-help resources tailored to their needs, rather than their HR teams, and half (52%) would choose the AI chat CBT app over a therapist.
Wysa offers continuous conversational care, supporting the entire mental health care pathway at referral, during waits, as a cCBT treatment, as well as post discharge support and ongoing access. Employees offered Wysa through their workplace benefit from 24/7 real-time support, one on one human coaching, anonymity for user data privacy and security, AI intelligence to them to the right resources at the right time, 150+ self help guides and custom SOS escalation pathways, whilst leaders get an aggregated overview of the challenges in their workplace.Additional research from over 150,000 conversations that 11,300 employees across 60 countries had with Wysa found that whilst talking to Wysa 43% of employees opened up about their declining mental health.
Saira, 37, London says: “Whilst technology isn’t replacing the conventional routes to therapy, I do believe technology like Wysa is providing opportunities to those who can’t perhaps afford to wait for their appointment. For me, it was easier to access an app like Wysa at the precise time I was feeling anxious, and not have to wait for days or weeks to speak to someone. I literally had someone (an AI bot) in my pocket that provided me multiple ways of tackling my anxiety. It would calm me down there and then so that I could go on about my day without symptoms worsening.”
Ross O’Brien, Managing Director UK, Wysa says: “Working females are struggling more than the average population. We owe it to our workforce to find a different solution to addressing mental health problems. Where the women who need some kind of support for anxiety and depression have access to it, through a tool or system that works for them. A digital front door to support, services and therapy, that removes the barriers to mental health support altogether.”
Nicky Main, UK and Europe clinical lead, Wysa adds: “The fact that the majority of women would rather speak to an app than their HR teams shows we need new solutions in the workplace. It demonstrates that it is important to have options available that suit not only personal preference, but also the needs people have when it comes to convenience and accessibility.”
The full report can be downloaded at https://www.wysa.io/uk-all-worked-up.
