Study: Anxiety tops mental health concerns for employees
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LOS ANGELES - Workplace anxiety has reached unprecedented levels, as highlighted in a recent study conducted by ComPsych Corporation, a mental health services provider headquartered in Chicago.
The study, published last month, revealed that nearly a quarter of individuals seeking mental health treatment through their employers in the past year identified anxiety as their primary concern.
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Researchers examined over 300,000 cases handled by ComPsych in the United States last year.
Their analysis revealed that anxiety surpassed stress, depression, grief, addiction, and relationship and family issues as the most prevalent mental health concern among employees.
"Right now, there are so many large macroeconomic, social and geopolitical issues impacting people’s mental health beyond their interpersonal and personal life," said Dr. Richard Chaifetz, founder, chair and CEO of ComPsych, in a statement to FOX Business.
"When you think about the past few years – from the pandemic to [the] border crisis and crime, civil unrest, an unpredictable economy, the proliferation of artificial intelligence, and contentious elections – it makes sense that people are more anxious now than they were five years ago," he added.
High anxiety among workers can have a negative effect on businesses as well.
"It means workers are distracted and stressed, and likely unable to do their jobs to the best of their abilities," Chaifetz said.
According to ComPsych data, there has been a staggering 300% surge in mental health-related leaves of absence since 2017, with women accounting for 69% of these leaves.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a medical contributor for Fox News, concurred with the assessment that anxiety has become the predominant mental health issue among employees. Notably, he did not participate in the ComPsych study.
"Anxiety also spills over to physical problems — it is a major cause of medical problems because of cycles of worry, sleeplessness and other issues," Siegel told Fox News Digital.
FOX Business contributed to this story.