Claims relating to stress in the workplace have increased by 51% since 1995, according to income protection provider UnumProvident.
UnumProvident's chief medical officer, Michael O'Donnell said the current high incidence of stress-related absenteeism was heading for the same endemic levels of absences as back pain had reached over the past decade.
Absenteeism due to stress is said to result in the loss of 65 million workdays every year in Britain, according to the company.
UnumProvident said the classification of stress as a Health and Safety issue, and the subsequent emphasis placed on the importance of avoiding it had contributed to the problem.
It warned against overplaying the problem of stress, saying if people became convinced they suffered from stressed, they were more likely to take time off work, regardless of the actual level of stress experienced.
