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SEASON'S GREETINGS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE STAFF AT ONLINE STRESS NEWS. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE NOW HAVE A NEW SECTION FOR 2001 STRESS NEWS. PLEASE REGISTER WITH 'Mind-it' ON THE NEW SECTION: http://onlinestressnews.bizland.com/news01.htm

WORKING WOMEN ARE STRESSED. A recent study by the London Chamber of Commerce,which interviewed more than 1000 women from admin staff to chief executives, found that nearly half believed that their health had been damaged by work. 60% thought that work was their major stressor, and about 40% reported that their work had impacted upon the relationship with their partner. 6/12/00.

TEACHER WINS £250,000 STRESS PAYOUT. A teacher from Newport, South Wales, has been awarded a record out of court settlement of over £250,000 after two breakdowns related to stress arising from her job with children with special educational needs. Mrs Howell, who is 51, retired from teaching in 1996 due to ill-health and began legal action against Newport Council in 1998, backed by her union, The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT). 5/12/00.

STRESS - NUMBER ONE CONCERN. A recent survey by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) found stress to be the number one health concern for two thirds of safety representatives. The report, 'Focus on Health' discovered it to be the main concern for nearly all of the industrial sectors. The factors founds to be most stressful by the report were heavy workloads (almost three quarters of the 9000 surveyed) and cuts in staff (over half). The safety reps reported long hours to be a significant cause despite a Working Time Directive introduced in October 1998. Ironically, long working hours has become a greater problem than it was when the Directive was introduced over two years ago. 30/11/00.

BRITISH EMPLOYMENT MINISTER DISCLOSES FACTS ABOUT THE LONG HOURS CULTURE. Margaret Hodge reported that one in nine workers are working more than 60 hours a week. 29% work more than 49 hours. Almost one in seven worked more than 60 hours. The 48 hour EU Working Time Directive which came into force in October, 1998, does not appear to have changed the British long hours culture. 22/11/00.

PRIEST INDECENTLY ASSAULTS CLIENTS WHO SAW HIM FOR COUNSELLING. A Catholic priest, Robert Deadman, 69, was found guilty in Leicester Crown Court, England, on 9/11/00 of sexually assaulting four female clients who had seen him for spiritual guidance. The prosecution suggested that the clients thought that sex was a part of their therapy. Deadman claimed that the sex had been unintentional or accidental.11/11/00

BABIES BIRTH WEIGHT. The Office for National Statistics (UK) have reported that girls weighing 11lbs to 12lbs 2oz were 8 times more likely to die during their first month and boys 5 times more likely when compared to average weight babies. Boys of 9lbs 14oz are 2.5 times more likely to die and girls 5 times more likely. However, small babies under 5lbs 8oz are the most likely to die. 11/11/00

ISMA(UK) RELEASE NEW RESEARCH. On National Stress Awareness Day, the International Stress Management Association (UK) have released new research. The summary of the findings are: 70% of UK adults have experienced stress at work (60% in 1999); 49% reported an increase in their stress levels from the previous year (24% in 1999); 52% of those interviewed 'disagreed strongly' that new technology was the cause of workplace stress; 33% of workers believe that their quality of life has been improved by e-technology; 31% of workers found balancing work with home stressful. When asked 'what situations/activities' do you find stressful? Workers replied: Rush hour 45%; Work 34%; Children's future 31%; Financial planning 29%; Paying household bills 26%; Shopping 26%; New technology 20%; Domestic relationships 19%; Housework 16%; Holiday trips 14%. 1/11/00

NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY. Today is National Stress Awareness Day in the UK. There are stress management seminars and all week TV and Radio will be featuring a number of programmes focusing on stress. Organised by the International Stress Management Association (UK) and sponsored by the Royal & Sun Alliance (a British insurance and pensions company).1/11/00

INAUGURAL LECTURE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT MASTERCLASS. Professor Stephen Palmer at City University, Centre for Health and Counselling Psychology, London, gave his professorial inaugural lecture and stress management masterclass today on National Stress Awareness Day. Professor Palmer is an international stress counselling and stress management expert. In his lecture he released results from his recent stress study. 1/11/00

DEATH BY FLYING. Emma Christoffersen, 28, died of deep vein thrombosis after a 20 hour long haul flight from Australia via Singapore to London. Apparently cramped conditions, inability to exercise and dehydration can lead to clots forming in a lower limb or pelvic vein. Later after landing, the clot can break off and block a vessel in the heart or lungs leading to death. Professor Palmer of the Centre for Health and Counselling Psychology at City University, London stated: These problems associated with flying have been known about for years. I am surprised that people flying in economy class have not been advised to take an asprin before a flight to help prevent clots from forming. New guidelines should be developed. 24/10/00

HYPNOSIS, MEDITATION AND RELAXATION TO REDUCE EXAM STRESS. The educational authority in Kirklees area, West Yorkshire, England, has started offering pupils hypnosis, meditation and relaxation to reduce exam stress. Dr Jones, the Authority's senior educational psychologist will supervise the trials. 20/10/00

REDUCE CANCER BY EATING GARLIC. Although garlic has always been recommended as a method of scaring off vampires, recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that its consumption halves the risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to those who eat none or little. Natural garlic was found to be more effective than garlic supplements. Garlic also seems to protect against stomach cancer. The research review was undertaken at the University of North Carolina.16/10/00

UK DOCTORS ONLINE. According to a Royal Society of Medicine report, 83% of UK doctors are online compared to 31% of the general population.9/10/00

LUNCHES AT WORK ARE CHANGING! A recent report published by Data Monitor on 'Changing Lunch Occasions' has highlighted the increase in US & UK staff dining at their desks instead of taking a proper break away from the office. Other research shows that the British take a 36 minute break on average where as the Spanish are far more likely to take a two hour lunch break with their family. Obviously the question we need to ask is whether the average British employee feels refreshed and ready for work after a short, or in some cases, non-existent lunch break? 7/10/00

EXERCISE DEPRESSION AWAY! The US National Institute of Health has recently awarded a £2 million grant to a team of scientists from Duke University in North Carolina to continue research into the effect of exercise on depression. The research team, led by psychologist, James Blumenthal, found that an exercise programme of three vigourous sessions a week was more effective both in treating depression and protecting against it than a member of the group of drugs often used for depression: the serotonin selective re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The research was published in "Psychosomatic Medicine" and involved 156 people with major depression. Their condition had improved with exercise after 16 weeks. While depression returned to 38% of those who took the drug only, it returned to only 8% of the people in the exercise group. Interestingly, depression was much more likely to return to the group who combined drug therapy with exercise than to those who took exercise only. 22/9/00

PC STRESS. ICL, an e-business service company commissioned Benchmark Research to conduct a survey about computers, IT and stress. Half of those interviewed came from service and manufacturing industries and the rest from a variety of other businesses. The 'IT Day From Hell' survey found PC and office network faults to be the most stressful. Next were printer, e-mail and internet access problems. On average, the people surveyed found problems with PCs were more stressful than being stuck on public transport, a weekend with the inlaws or the regular irritations of everyday life, such as queues. However, PC problems were regarded by those surveyed as less stressful than looking after a small child for the day. 25% lost between half an hour and one hour per day due to faulty or unreliable technology. 30% wait for over two hours for an IT problem to be rectified. Although loss of internet access and e-mail viruses are lower on the stress scale, they are becoming an increasing worry. ICL's message, supported by this research, is that e-businesses need to have an IT management programme in place to help prevent problems occurring with information and support available for overcoming those problems that cannot be prevented. 15/9/00

JOGGING IS SAFE. New research has found that regular jogging is not associated with increased mortality in men. Peter Schonhr and associates undertook a study in Copenhagen, based on 4658 men. There was a higher mortality rate in the non-joggers in the study. This study may now reduce the fears some of the population have about jogging. The study was published in the British Medical Journal, 2000, 321:602-603. 12/9/00

NEW STRESS RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN BY CITY UNIVERSITY IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CENTRE FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT,LONDON. Researchers, Professor Stephen Palmer and Angela Puri, at the Centre for Stress Management working in association with City University undertook a stress study. Five key areas were focused on: How often do people become stressed? What do they regularly get stressed about? What methods are regularly used to manage stress? How do people know when they are stressed? Are there any age and gender differences relating to stress? Over the next two weeks the findings will be published. Watch this space for the information, hot from the press! 5/9/00

NEW RESEARCH FINDS THAT St JOHN'S WORT IS EFFECTIVE FOR MILD TO MODERATE DEPRESSION. Yet another paper has found that St John's Wort helps patients with mild to moderate depression. The study concluded that Hypericum perforatum extract (St John's Wort) is therapeutically equivalent to imipramine (medication prescribed for depression). The setting was 40 outpatient clinics in Germany and 324 particpants were involved in the study. However, it is worth noting that not everybody agrees with the conclusions of the study (see BMJ eLetter responses). The article by Helmut Woelk was published in the British Medical Journal, 2000,321:536-539. (NB. The article can be found on the BMJ's website.) 4/9/00

RAGE TO ACHIEVE ILL HEALTH! The American Heart Association has recently published information linking the quick-tempered to an increased risk of death. It has been known for some time that high blood pressure increases the likelihood of having a heart attack. In its recent edition of the journal, 'Circulation', the Association reports that the risk of having a heart attack is increased in people prone to temper attacks: such people are three times more likely to suffer a heart attack even if they do not have high blood pressure. The reason for this is that when a person is enraged, stress hormones are released into the body causing constriction of the coronary arteries. If the anger has caused a fatty plaque in the artery to rupture, the probability of a blocked artery is increased, leading to a heart attack. 31/8/00

£100,000 STRESS SETTLEMENT FOR LLOYDS TSB BANKER. Lloyds TSB have made an out of court settlement of £100,000 to an employee of 27 years who suffered stress at work. Leslie North who ran the Southam branch was diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He said that the problem began when he was forced to meet increasing sales targets and was offered no support but put under intolerable pressure, often working until 2am to keep abreast of his work. The payment is thought to be important because it is the first compensation settlement for stress in the financial services sector and others are expected to follow. Lloyds TSB said that they did not admit liability but that they were keen not to cause further distress to Leslie North. 14/8/00

NIGHT BIRTHS: HIGHER DEATH RATES. The risk of dying is almost twice as high for babies born at night compared to babies born during the day. This includes labour and the first few days after birth. The risk of babies dying of asphyxia just prior to birth is almost four times as high at night (9pm-6.55am). The research, carried out by a team from Phillips-University at Marburg (Germany) and led by Gunther Heller, was reported in the British Medical Journal. The team's study surveyed 380,000 low-risk babies during the 1990s from hospitals in Hesse. The report noted that these findings may be due to increased physical and mental fatigue during the night when doctors have already worked through a complete dayshift, or to over-reliance on less experienced staff at night-time. However, the report also showed that death during labour or in the following seven days was very rare with only 57 of 380,000 babies lost. 8/8/00

PROTECTION AGAINST HARRASSMENT AND BULLYING: LORDS OVERTURN PREVIOUS RULING. Law Lords recently overturned an earlier ruling and allowed a former police constable to proceed with a claim against the Metropolitan Police for compensation. Eileen Waters had been trying to sue the Met since 1994. She claims that she was subjected to years of hostility and victimisation after accusing a colleague of rape and buggery. The Lords ruling also gives employees in general the right to be protected against harrassment and bullying. 1/8/00

LAW LORDS RULE ON PROVOCATION. The House of Lords recently ruled that a jury might take into account conditions effecting self-control such as clinical depression or battered women syndrome. The ruling on 27 July 2000 relates to the law on provocation because a successful defence of provocation can reduce a charge of murder to a charge of manslaughter. Murder carries a mandatory life sentence but the Judge determines manslaughter sentences. Women's groups applauded the ruling. 28/7/00

DRINK TO BE ALERT IN OLD AGE! Research now suggests that moderate alcohol intake may protect against cognitive deterioration in later life. The research was conducted by a team led by Dr. Jorge Cervilla of the Institute of Psychiatry, based in South London. The findings are published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. The study tested the mental ability of almost 400 adults aged between 65 and 74 over 9-12 year period. Mental decline was least in moderate drinkers and greatest in both teetotallers and heavy drinkers. It is believed that moderate drinking also reduces the risk of suffering from Alzheimers Disease. 28/7/00

ALCOHOL FOR STRESSED WOMEN. Over two-thirds of working women turn to alcohol to relax from the stress of their work. Top Sante magazine discovered this in a survey of over 5000 eighteen to fifty-five year olds. Many drink more than the recommended daily limit of two to three units of alcohol a day. 28/7/00

INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNAL RULES THAT PTSD IS A DISABILITY. A Sainsburys employee developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when customers of the salad bar he managed, contracted the first food-bourne outbreak of dysentery in the UK. With almost 50 cases reported, Stephen Rickard experienced stress, developed depression and was subsequently made redundant after four months leave. Sainsburys held that Mr Rickard was suffering depression rather than PTSD. However, the tribunal found that he was suffering PTSD. Consequently he qualifies as a disabled person and is eligible to claim unfair dismissal. 26/7/00

RED WINE FOR HEALTH. France has a diet that is as high in fat as Britain, but their levels of cancer and heart disease are lower. Drs Baldwin and Holmes-McNary from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found this maybe due to a compound called, RESVERATROL or RES. It is found in red grapes as well as many fruits and nuts. It works in two ways. Firstly, it helps the body to kill cancer cells by turning off a gene that usually protects the cancer cells from destruction. Secondly, Res inhibits a different gene that plays a part in the inflammation and development of blocked arteries. The study was reported in Cancer Research. 14/7/00

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: PARENTS RECEIVE £988,000 COMPENSATION FOR SUICIDE FROM JAPAN'S BIGGEST ADVERTISING AGENCY. In 1991, Ichiro Oshima, 24, committed suicide after working 80 hours a week for Dentsu Inc., an advertising agency. Recently the organisation accepted liability for suicide which was triggered by depression due to overwork. This could open the floodgates in litigation as many thousands of Japanese workers are claimed to die each year from undertaking too much work. 27/6/00

WORK STRESS DEATH: OPEN VERDICT. A financial director fell 150 feet to his death because he believed he had failed to meet his monthly target. The inquest, held on 21st June, heard that Scott John, 32, also believed he had failed his wife and child. Ironically, he had met his target the day before he died but was unaware that he had done so. The coroner said that he had no doubt Mr John thought this was an unresolvable problem and that he jumped, but the coroner did not have enough evidence to support this view and therefore recorded an open verdict. 22/6/00

EXECUTIVE STRESS. Almost 75% of executives believe stress negatively affects their health. Common symptoms reported were excessive tiredness (81%) disturbed sleep (78%) and loss of temper (71%). Sick leave due to stress had been taken by a quarter of respondents in the research carried out by the Institute of Management. In an attempt to combat stress almost 60% used exercise while 43% used alcohol. Only 30% of the managers surveyed believed their employees took occupational health seriously. 21/6/00.

EMPLOYEE SICK ABSENCE. Employees take an average of 7.8 days sick leave a year. The survey was undertaken by the CBI and PPP Healthcare and revealed that this was a reduction of one day a year. The CBI human resources policy director, John Cridland, noted that absence needs to be actively managed at a senior level and that managers can only design the right policies to tackle this issue by understanding the causes of absence. 21/6/00.

RAGE INTO DEATH. Dr Janice Williams and her team from the University of North Carolina, reported Chapel Hill, have recently in the journal, Circulation. Their 6 year study of almost 13,000 people from four communities in America found that people with a high anger score were 2.69 times more likely to have a heart attack or die suddenly from heart problems than people who had a low anger score. 6/5/00

BIG BUS RAGE. 80 passengers had an unexpected tour of Bristol when the driver of a double decker bus chased the car that forced him to brake suddenly. 4/5/00

LEGAL CLAIMS BY EMPLOYEES INCREASE. ACAS reported that employees' legal claims against their employers had increased by over 40,000 (approx 1/3) for the year to March 31st compared to the previous year. Many of these arose from small businesses. 3/5/00

EXAMS AND PRESSURE DRIVING CHILDREN TO SUICIDE. The annual conference of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, held in Belfast, was told by Peter Smith, their General Secretary, that 'Children are under a great deal of pressure....there is evidence from Japan where pupils are so anxious they commit suicide'. Speakers picked up on this issue and put the blame on The Government and Ofsted for putting pressure on the entire system. 18/4/00

GUILT IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH. At the recent British Psychological Society conference, psychologist, Geoff Lowe, told the audience that individuals who feel guilty when undertaking their favourite pastimes or activities weaken their immune defences against infection. In the study, the researchers took a sample of saliva and measured the level of immunoglobulin A, an antibody. Individuals with high pleasure and low guilt ratios had higher concentrations of the immunoglobulin. Males seemed to suffer less guilt in the study and had higher levels. Editor's note: This appears to back up what rational emotive behavioural therapists have been saying for years about guilt being an unhealthy emotion. 18/4/00

PERFECTIONIST TEACHER COMMITS SUICIDE BEFORE OFSTED VISIT. James Patton, 29, a teacher committed suicide by hanging from a tree near his home, before an Ofsted inspection. His notes, which were found two days after his death included the phrase, 'My best was not good enough'. He taught at Corpus Christi Primary School in Stechford. His Headteacher said that he was 'well-respected' and a 'perfectionist'. Editors comment: This is another tragic example of how perceived external pressures and our belief systems can lead to depression and in extreme cases, suicide. 24/3/00

£129,000 INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNAL PAYOUT FOR BULLYING AND RACIAL ABUSE AT WORK. Nathan Lee, 53, a British Telecom employee, was awarded £129,000 compensation after being subjected to bullying and racial abuse by some staff at the British Telecom depot in Crayford, Kent. In one incident he found staples in his noodles and in another he was called a 'bastard Chinaman'. He was threatened that he would be the next 'Stephen Lawrence'. Editor's comment: Once again, this is a situation where the management did not apparently act against the perpetrators, according to Mr Nathan, even though he had reported the incidents to them. 11/3/00

£28,000 FOR BULLIED EMPLOYEE. A factory worker at a plastics works (CL Plastics, Birkenshaw), who had dyslexia was bullied by his 'colleagues'. In one incident, they even shrink wrapped him which almost suffocated him. When he complained to the management about the verbal abuse he had received about his inability to read, they failed to take action. The father of two, Mr Harling, left the job after 18 months of abuse. The Leeds tribunal found that he had suffered discrimination because of his disability and that he was constructively dismissed. 28/2/00

DROUGHT STRESSED MONKEYS STONE MAN TO DEATH. Northern Kenya is suffering from drought and water supplies are low. This impacts upon both humans and animals. Recently when a herdsman watered his livestock he was stoned to death by a group of monkeys in the Wajir district. A nurse reported that the man had died from 'severe head injuries'. 27/2/00

TRAINING CENTRE NOW RUNNING COURSES IN EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. Training provider, the Centre for Stress Management, will now be running courses for health and management professionals in Edinburgh. They are due to start to coincide with the Edinburgh Festival this August. The courses will be run by Professor Stephen Palmer and focus on stress management and cognitive behaviour therapy: Primary Certificate in Occupational and Organisational Stress Management; Primary Certificate in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and Training. Further details from: admin@managingstress.com or visit the website http://www.managingstress.com 26/2/00

E-MAIL STRESS. IT'S OFFICIAL! Yes, it's true! Employees really do suffer from the stress of email overload. Recent published research (23/2/00)undertaken by the Institute of Management found that email stress is now tenth in the league of stressors at work. The main problem is receiving so many emails and feeling obliged to deal with them. (NB The study was of 819 managers.)25/2/00

WOMEN BULLIED AT WORK. A recent survey by Good Housekeeping found some disturbing information: 25% of women have been bullied at work; 60% suffer from work-related stress; almost a third stated that they had experienced ageism or sexism; internal office politics were found to be the most disliked part of a their working life. It will be interesting to see what employers intend doing about these problems. Often employers ignore them and sometimes end up in court when sexism or bullying are involved. 14/2/00

£136,000 FOR PTSD. A clinical psychologist, Laraine el-Jazairi, received £136,000 from her former employers just before the case went to court. In June, 1994, she was working at Ashworth hospital on Merseyside (which holds mentally disordered offenders) when she was taken hostage by a prisoner, Byron Tomlinson. His weapon was a carving knife. Not surprisingly, subsequently she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder which lead to her retiring early. Due to the difficult conditions in the hospital at the time of the event, the Ashworth management have suggested that she knowingly stayed in a job that was a risk and she could have chosen to leave. This overlooks the fact that the employers should have acted earlier to deal with the difficult working conditions that they knew existed!!!!! It would have been interesting to see how much a court might have awarded in this case if it found against the hospital. However, often victims of severe stress or PTSD are only too pleased to settle out of court as it avoids having to relate the experience in court which can re-traumatise them. This case highlights how some employers are willing to blame employees and not take full responsibility for the working conditions they provide. 17/1/00

£200,000 AWARDED IN THE HIGH COURT. A former senior housing officer,Roderick McLeod, was awarded £200,000 in the High Court. It was alleged that his female line manager had bullied him which caused a mental breakdown.15/1/00

ANOTHER LARGE AWARD FOR STRESS:£200,000. Council worker, Mr Randy Ingram was awarded £203,000 out of court for a stress claim involving depression against Hereford and Worcester County Council. Facts: He managed sites for the Council that had some 'disruptive Gypsy families' who were abusive (physical and verbal); Council officials undermined his position by siding with the disruptive families; they did not support him when he attempted to deal with the families concerned; he had been shot at and attacked by a dog in the course of his work. The main problem appears that the Council did not apply a consistent policy when dealing with the tenents on the sites so the managers overturned the wardens' decisions. It is interesting to note that out of ten wardens employed by the Council it was alleged that seven had taken time off work due to stress; one warden left on grounds of ill-health and received £14,500 compensation.11/1/00

SUICIDES UP IN PRISONS. Last year there were 91 suicides in jails in England and Wales. This is a 10% rise in one year although the prison population has remained the same. 11/1/00

STAFF BULLYING AT SCHOOL EXPENSIVE! The National Association of Head Teachers issued guidelines (4/1/00) suggesting that schools should take seriously any alligation of bullying among staff. Litigation has increased and can cost schools many thousands of pounds in claims. In one case, a former deputy headteacher, Anthony Ratcliffe, received an out of court settlement for £100,000 in damages from Dyfed County Council. Bullying is a stressor that can lead to psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety and in extreme cases, a mental breakdown. One of the problems in recent years has been the denial by some headteachers that that bullying not only exists, but their management style could be considered as bullying. One obvious solution is that more training is required in management skills at senior levels of management in schools. 5/1/00

HAPPY NEW MILLENNIUM TO OUR READERS, FROM THE EDITORS AND STAFF AT ONLINE STRESS NEWS

SHOCK, HORROR: WORLD SURVIVES Y2K BUG. After all the hype and stress caused by the pundits, their negative predictions have proved incorrect. The world as we know it has survived the millennium bug. Interestingly, this includes countries like Italy that did rather little, rather late in the day! Of course, when staff in the Western world return to work on 4/1/00 problems may crop up and this item of news may appear somewhat premature. Let's wait and see. 1/1/00

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