Teachers say stress is leading to rise in mental health issues

Teachers increasingly face mental health problems because of pressures in their working life, a survey suggests.

More than a third of school and college staff reported a rise in mental health issues among their colleagues over the past two years, a poll has found. More than half said that their job had had a negative effect on their own mental health.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), which conducted the poll, is to debate the topic at its conference in Manchester this week.

A resolution has been put forward calling on the union to establish a working group to investigate the issue and specifically to look at the impact of performance-management systems on those with mental health problems or hidden disabilities.

The survey, which questioned over 900 school and college staff, found that of the 55 per cent who believe their job has a negative impact on their mental health, 80 per cent said they were stressed, 70 per cent said they were left feeling exhausted by their work and two thirds said it disturbed their sleep.

The union warned that a stigma attached to mental health issues meant that many people were afraid to tell their employers if they were suffering. The poll found that 68 per cent of those with a mental health problem chose to keep it a secret from bosses. Only 38 per cent kept a physical health issue to themselves.

Dr Mary Bousted, the general secretary of ATL, said she was shocked at the rise in mental health problems.

She said: “Teachers, lecturers, support staff and heads are now so overworked that it comes as no surprise that so many suffer from stress, depression and other mental-health issues.’’

Dr Bousted added: “They need to be supported better, with schools and colleges making adjustments to jobs and working conditions where necessary.’’ The poll questioned 925 education staff working in state and private schools and colleges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland last month.