5% of teachers have a ‘mental health problem lasting more than a year’

Posted 5 years ago

Teachers are found to be leaving the profession after experiencing anxiety issues and panic attacks.

A study funded by the Nuffield Foundation found that in a data pool of 20,000 staff over 30 years, 1 in 20 experience mental health problems that last more than a year. There has also been an increase in teachers being prescribed antidepressants.

There is already a big problem with recruitment within the Education Sector, which will not be helped by these figures, not to mention the issues with employee retention. The above report also found that a third of teachers left the job within the first 5 years of employment. The Department of Education also released a paper that supported the lack of employee retention from “sleeping problems, panic attacks and anxiety issues”.

The teaching profession in England is currently in the midst of a crisis and one potential reason why it’s struggling to recruit and retain enough teachers is due to the pressures of the job.

John Jerrim, Lead Author & Professor at the UCL Institute of Education

Pressure on Government

The Government is being called out to look after teacher wellbeing. Teacher burnout and the levels of stress in teachers is not a new topic and has been rife in the sector for a long time. To read more about teacher burnout, how stress affects teachers and how to promote staff wellbeing in schools visit our Why Every School Needs to Promote Staff Wellbeing blog.

Perhaps more shockingly, in 2018, the Teacher Wellbeing Index found that 75% of all education staff have faced physical or mental health issues in the last two years and 53% have considered leaving because of it.

A spokesperson from the Department of Education has stated that there were talks in progress to work on a good work-life balance for teachers.

The role of awareness training

While Mental Health Awareness Training for teachers might not provide all of the solutions to this crisis, it can play a huge role in raising awareness, getting teachers talking to their peers and removing the stigma from mental-ill health. If you work in the Education sector, you can find out more below and trial our course for free.