One in four in Switzerland reports mental health issues

Of the individuals who took part in the study, 42% surveyed feel as though their company is not really interested in their mental health. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / CHRISTIAN BEUTLER

Around a quarter of the Swiss population say they suffer from mental health problems. According to a study by the insurance group Axa, the workplace atmosphere is a particular problem for those working in Switzerland.

According to the international study, the Swiss rate their mental health more positively than people in other countries. Nevertheless, 26% of the 1,000 people surveyed said they suffered from mental health problems and 15% from depression.

The workplace atmosphere clearly has a major influence on people’s well-being. For example, 77% of the employees surveyed stated that they suffered from a mental health problem due to their working environment. Symptoms include fatigue and lack of energy (59%), sleep disorders (47%), stress and anxiety (33%), a feeling of worthlessness (33%) and eating disorders (24%).

Stressful working environments resulted in 30% of respondents wanting to be less involved at work or work less, while 30% planned on taking part in training to facilitate a change in jobs. A further 28% wanted to work from home more frequently and 22% intended to quit their job.

Work environment: a considerable impact

According to the study, the effects of a working environment that is perceived as negative are considerable. For example, 17% of employees stated that they had taken sick leave in the past 12 months due to mental health problems (54% of these aged between 18 and 34). A total of 7% of respondents had suffered a burnout in the past year.

According to a calculation by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, Axa puts the resulting loss to Switzerland’s gross domestic product at around CHF17.3 billion ($20 billion) per year.

Workplace offers inadequate support

According to the respondents of the survey, employees receive too little support from their employers in difficult situations: for example, around half of those affected by burnout (51%) were dissatisfied with the support they received from their employer. A further 28% of employees with mental health problems described their company’s support as inadequate.

Of the individuals who took part in the study, 42% surveyed feel as though their company is not really interested in their mental health. Only a third of employees consider raising their mental health problems with their superiors or asking them for help.

The global market research company Ipsos surveyed 16,000 people aged between 18 and 74 located in 16 countries for the study on behalf of Axa last year. In Switzerland, 1,000 people took part in the survey, of whom 709 were employed at the time of the survey.

Adapted from German by DeepL/mg/amva

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