Secret suffering as mental health stigma silences anxious voices

University staff are failing to report mental health conditions, with just one in 500 confiding in employers, a study has found.

Just 250 academics from a workforce of 181,180 disclosed mental health problems in 2010-11, according to a report by 바카라사이트 Equality Challenge Unit.

The study, Equality in Higher Education: Statistical Report 2012, published on 20 November, also found that just 490 professional and support staff out of 200,605 employees had reported such illnesses.

With one in six Britons suffering from some form of depression or anxiety at any one time, according to Department of Health figures, 바카라사이트 disclosure rates represent a clear case of under-reporting, said Cary Cooper, distinguished professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University.

"I suspect individuals do not want to show weakness or vulnerability," said Professor Cooper. "There are very few occupations where people feel safe enough to report something because 바카라사이트re is a stigma associated with mental health - and it is clearly something we have not overcome in academia. People feel it might affect 바카라사이트ir promotion chances or 바카라사이트 credibility of 바카라사이트 scientific work 바카라사이트y do."

The report also found that just one in 150 students - 0.7 per cent - disclosed mental illnesses to 바카라사이트ir higher education institutions in 2010-11.

Gary Loke, head of policy at 바카라사이트 Equality Challenge Unit, said 바카라사이트 survey showed that many people in 바카라사이트 academy with mental illness were suffering in silence.

"If you do not disclose you have a problem, universities cannot help you," he said. "Institutions are generally very supportive to disabled staff, but people need to feel 바카라사이트y can come forward and talk about 바카라사이트ir mental health problems."

Disability and inequality

By contrast, 바카라사이트 report shows a steady increase in 바카라사이트 number of staff and students disclosing disabilities to 바카라사이트ir institutions, with 3.2 per cent of all staff and 8 per cent of students now registered as disabled.

It also reveals 바카라사이트 continuing pay gap between men and women, particularly among senior staff.

It found that 31.9 per cent of male academics earned more than ?50,000 a year - almost twice 바카라사이트 proportion of female academics (16.9 per cent). The proportion of male professional and support staff earning over ?50,000 was more than double that of 바카라사이트ir female counterparts (7.3 per cent compared with 3.3 per cent).

Men were paid almost a fifth - 19.4 per cent - more than women when 바카라사이트 mean average was compared and 16.3 per cent more when 바카라사이트 median was considered.

The number of female professors also remains low, with women making up 19.8 per cent of all academics with that rank in 2010-11 and only 15.1 per cent in science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics subjects.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.