Worry over rise in drink and pills use by teachers

TEACHERS in Birmingham and the West Midlands are increasingly using alcohol and antidepressants to deal with soaring levels of stress, new figures reveal.

Nearly half of school staff admit seeking help from a doctor in the last 12 months as a result of workrelated physical or mental symptoms.

The 2016 Annual Big Question survey of teachers revealed that across the region one in five teachers had reported an increased use of alcohol, seven per cent a rise in the use of prescription drugs and 11 per cent an increase in the use of anti-depressants to battle stress.

There was an increase of four per cent in those using tobacco.

Almost half (48 per cent) of teachers have seen a doctor in the last 12 months as a result of work related physical or mental health problems, 15 per cent have undergone counselling and six per cent had been admitted to hospital.

Four out of five reported experiencing work-related anxiousness, 86 per cent had suffered sleeplessness and almost a third reported poor health, while three-quarters suffered from low energy levels.

Shockingly, two per cent of teachers say they have selfharmed as a result of work-related pressures.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, the teachers’ union, said: “Job loss and deep cuts to resources have resulted in spiralling workloads and long working hours. Teaching has always been an intensively demanding job, but evidence collected annually by the NASUWT over the last five years demonstrates that teachers’ health and wellbeing have deteriorated dramatically.

“The Government should be ensuring that employers are providing mental health first-aid courses, something the NASUWT does for its members.”