ONLINE STRESS NEWS, INTERNATIONAL, 2001

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HEALTH & NUTRITION

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES EFFECT. Yes, it really is true!! Cardiac mortality is abnormally high on days considered unlucky. A research paper titled, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles effect: natural experiment on the influence of psychological stress on timing of death' by Professor David Philips, George C Liu, Kennon Kwok, Jason R Jarvinen, Wei Zhang, Professor Ian S Abramson, at the University of California, San Diego, found that cardiac mortality is abnormally high on days considered unlucky by Chinese and Japanese people who consider the number 4 unlucky (white Americans do not). The researchers examined cardiac and non-cardiac mortality on and around the fourth of each month in Chinese and Japanese participants and white controls living in United States.

The peak in Chinese and Japanese deaths was particularly high for deaths from chronic heart disease and still higher for deaths from chronic heart disease in California.

The researchers concluded that the findings of excess cardiac mortality on "unlucky" days were consistent with the hypothesis that cardiac mortality increases on psychologically stressful occasions.

The paper was published in he BMJ 2001;323:1443-1446 (22-29 Dec.) 22/12/01

MONTAGNE JEUNESSE CHRISTMAS STRESS RESEARCH. Recent stress research released by Montagne Jeunesse found that 37% of the UK population find that Christmas is stressful. Only 33% of men found Christmas stressful compared to 42% of women. More surprisingly, 45% of part-time workers found it stressful compared to 35% of full-time workers. Location was another factor. The region that experienced most stress was London (44%) whereas the North West was the least (33%). (NB 1000 participants took part in the telephone survey.)20/12/01.

KAVA KAVA MAY CAUSE LIVER DAMAGE. The popular traditional remedy used for treating stress and anxiety disorders, bladder and digestive tract problems has been withdrawn from sale in the UK from 1st January, 2002.This was a voluntary withdrawal agreed between the herbal food industry and the Medicines Control Agency. Its use has been linked to 30 cases of liver damage. Kava kava is a Pacific plant often known just as 'kava'. 20/12/01.

CENTRE FOR COACHING DEVELOPS NEW COURSES. The Centre for Coaching ,London, England, has developed a range of new courses which focus on performance, life, and stress management coaching. The Co-Directors of Training are Gladeana McMahon, Michael Neenan and Professor Stephen Palmer. 28/11/01.

£20,000 COMPENSATION FOR RELATIVES OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE. The UK Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority will consider claims from victim’s relatives under rules that allow payments to ‘secondary victims’ who had a ‘relationship of love and affection’. This may be the first time that claims may be made for a crime committed outside the UK. 19/11/01.

NEW PROFESSOR OF WORK BASED LEARNING AND STRESS MANAGEMENT. Professor Stephen Palmer PhD, Director of the Centre for Stress Management, London, UK, has been made a Visiting Professor of Work Based Learning and Stress Management at the National Centre for Work Based Learning Partnerships, Middlesex University, UK. He said,’ I’m delighted to be given this new position at the National Centre’. 7/11/01.

NATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS DAY, UK. National Stress Awareness Day is organised by the International Stress Management Association (UK). This year it will be held on 7th November and the theme is on Managing Stress in the 24 hour Society. 1/11/01.

CAFFEINE MAY CAUSE MISCARRIAGES. The guideline from the UKs Food Standards Agency now states that the daily limit of caffeine for pregnant women should be no more than 300mg per day. This is about four average cups of instant coffee or six average cups of tea or eight cans of cola daily. However, moderate intake is safe. More than 300mg of caffeine has been linked to low birthweight and miscarriage.12/10/01.

PROGESTERONE TREATMENT FOR PMS MAY NOT WORK. For the past 20 years progesterone has been prescribed to help counter the effects of pre-menstrual syndrome. However, a recent study published in the British Medical Journal noted that no conclusive proof has been found that the treatment works. 10/10/01.

£140,000 STRESS PAYOUT . Yet another stress case against Worcestershire County Council by the Trade Union, UNISON!! You may ask whether the Council are taking stress seriously? A former social worker and deputy manager of a residential home in Reditch, Thelma Conway, who claimed her life was "destroyed" by stress at work has been awarded £140,000 in compensation. When she complained about the way the home for the elderly was being run, the manager resigned leaving a succession of temporary managers in the post before Mrs Conway herself was asked to take over. Although she requested training for both herself in her new role and her staff, nothing was forthcoming. Not surprisingly she developed acute stress, depression and phobias. 24/9/01

EURO-STRESS COMPENSATION! Trade unions in Italy have announced that they intend to demand that banks pay at least 1000 euros (£627) to front-line bank clerks (1500 euros for senior managers) to compensate for the stress they will experience when the Euro currency is introduced. 20/9/01

NIGHT SHIFTS ARE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH. It has been well known for some years that working night shifts are bad for health. In a recent US study, researchers measured changes in heartbeat and variations in heart rate in 49 employees working shifts, including nights, and 22 employees working normal day hours. Twelve months later unfavourable changes in heart rate variability among both sets of workers, with the rate of premature ventricular complexes higher among the shiftworkers were found. The risk increased according to the number of night shifts worked. 20/9/01.

AIR RAGE AT 33,000ft. When holidaymakers were told that their plane would need to be diverted to Gatwick instead of Manchester due to low fuel, they started throwing food and beer cans at the air crew and even attempted to storm the cockpit. The low fuel was due to the headwinds. 18/8/01

DVT DUE TO CANCER? At the Centenary Oncology Conference, Dr Gibbs from the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, suggested that deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can sometimes be a sign of concealed cancer. Some cancers release chemicals that increase the chance of clots by thickening the blood. Air travellers who are suffering or have recently recovered from cancer should take measures to lessen the chance of DVTs. 17/8/01

STRESS GUIDANCE: HSE publishes guidance to help stress-busting managers tackle Britain's £3.75 billion stress bill.

Today the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published comprehensive guidance on preventing work-related stress. Stress-related illness is responsible for the loss of 6.5 million working days each year, costing employers around £370 million and society as a whole as much as £3.75 billion. An estimated half a million people in Britain are suffering from work-related stress, anxiety or depression at levels that make them ill.

'Tackling work-related stress: a managers' guide to improving and maintaining employee health and well-being' is for managers in organisations employing over 50 people. This provides a step-by-step approach to tackling the causes of stress in the workplace. It helps them to identify who is at risk and what steps they can take to prevent problems occurring, as well as outlining employers' statutory obligations and making the case for taking effective action now.

The guide examines: Culture: how supportive the organisation is; Demands: the load placed on individuals and their capacity to handle it; Control: the amount of say an individual has in how work is carried out; Relationships: how people relate to one another in the workplace Change: within and outside the organisation and its effects on workers; Role: the need for an employee to be clear about his/her place in the organisation; Support and training: its importance in doing the job well and ensuring good mental health.

HSE's stress spokesperson, Elizabeth Gyngell, said: "Work-related stress is a huge occupational health problem facing Britain today, inflicting a heavy toll both in terms of financial cost and human suffering. Managers have a key role to play in reducing this toll - there is so much they can do which is both simple and effective. This guidance offers them practical advice on how to tackle stress issues head-on.

We recognise that there is considerable pressure in the modern competitive work place, but there is a difference between the buzz people get from doing a busy job and staff simply being unable to cope with the strains placed upon them. A burnt-out workforce is an unproductive workforce and it is in no one's interests to find themselves in this situation. The spread of good management practice is absolutely vital and I would urge organisations to work alongside us to share knowledge and develop practical solutions."

Ms Gyngell concluded: "The guidance is the first step towards producing management standards which will establish benchmarks for measuring employers' performance in preventing work-related stress and will make enforcing stress-related health and safety offences easier. We will be developing these in partnership with business over the next few years."

In addition to the new guidance, an employee leaflet is also available. Tackling work-related stress - a guide for employees explains what stress is and how it affects people, providing details of what individuals can do at work to help their manager in tackling the problem.

Copies of Tackling work-related stress a managers' guide to improving and maintaining employee health and well-being, (ref HSG218) ISBN 0 7176 2050 6 price £7.95, can be ordered online at http://www.hsebooks.co.uk or are available from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2WA, tel: 01787-881165 or fax: 01787-313995. HSE priced publications are also available from all good bookshops.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

1. The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has identified stress as one of its eight priority programmes aimed at reducing accidents, injuries and ill-health in the workplace. Last year the HSC and Government launched the Revitalising Health and Safety initiative, which aims to achieve, by the year 2010: a 30 per cent reduction in the incidence of working days lost through work-related illness and injury; a 20 per cent reduction in the incidence of people suffering from work-related ill-health; and a 10 per cent reduction in the rate of work-related fatal and major injuries. The HSE also launched last year its Securing Health Together strategy, which forms the central plank for achieving the first two Revitalising targets. See www.ohstrategy.net for more information.

2. HSE defines work related stress as "the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them". This differentiates between the beneficial effects of stretching or challenging work which can provide a 'buzz', and work related stress, the natural but distressing reaction to demands or 'pressures' that the person feels that they cannot cope with.

3. Data in this press-release relate to a survey of self-reported work-related illness undertaken in 1995 ("Self-reported Work-related Illness in 1995: Results from a household survey", HSE Books, 1998, ISBN 07176 1509 X). Successive workplace surveys have put the spotlight on the scale of occupational stress.

4. Recently, results from a new survey conducted in 1999 have been released. Self-reported Work-related Illness in 1998/99: Results from EUROSTAT ill-health module in the 1999 Labour Force Survey summer quarter can be found on the HSE website www.hse.gov.uk/hthdir/noframes/euro9899.htm. Despite not been directly comparable, best available comparisons suggest that the prevalence of self-reported work-related stress has increased from 1995 to 1999.

5. This new report provides data on illnesses people believed were caused or made worse by their work and offers further evidence of the scale of the problem. It estimates that almost 150,000 employees report taking at least one month off work with a stress-related condition. Those aged 35-44 reported the highest rates of work-related stress and for those still employed in the job causing stress, rates increased with length of time in that job. Employees more likely to report work-related stress than the self-employed. Nurses and teachers are some of the most stressed occupations. Prevalence rates of self-reported work-related stress were highest in Wales compared to the rest of Britain. Within English regions, London had the highest rate.

6. Work-related stress is the second most common type of occupational ill health in Britain, after musculo-skeletal disorders. One in five people report their work as "very" or "extremely" stressful. Prolonged or intense stress can lead to mental and physical ill health, such as depression, back pain and heart disease.

7. HSC/E's strategy on work-related stress includes:

- working with partners to develop clear, agreed standards of good management practices for preventing work-related stress;

- better equipping enforcement officers to handle the issue in their routine work;

- facilitating a comprehensive approach to managing work-related stress; and

- running a publicity drive to help educate employers.

8. In the autumn, HSE will be producing guidance on work-related stress for human resource professionals jointly with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

9. HSE's work on work-related stress is just one aspect of the Government's approach to improving workplace mental health. On 19 June 2001, health Minister Jacqui Smith launched the Government's "working minds" programme, aimed at fighting the discrimination suffered at work by people with mental health problems. See www.mindout.net for more information.

PUBLIC ENQUIRIES

Call HSE's InfoLine, tel: 08701 545500, or write to: HSE Information Services, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly, CF83 3GG. 26/6/01

LONDON'S METROPOLITAN POLICE TO GET FREE PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES. Compensation claims and lost work is costing the Met many hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling due to untreated stress. Last month, WPC Angela Moore sued the Met after developing post traumatic stress disorder and depression after an accident on duty. She become phobic of driving. She was awarded £250,000 damages. Sir John Stevens, the Police Commissioner has approved the appointment of a psychotherapist and psychiatrist in order to help his staff. EDITOR'S COMMENT: The macho image of the Met has led to officers not coming forward with any difficulties they encounter. Hopefully, this new service will encourage officers to take action and not suffer in silence. Often staff involved with anti-pornography or child protection units are at great risk. 25/5/01.

STRESS BALLS TRIGGERED ANAPHYLACTIC REACTION. Stress balls handed out to staff at the Barclays call centre in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, triggered a severe reaction for Mrs Lee Doyle, 36. The latex particles from the balls surface caused an anaphylactic response which could have killed her. However, an adrenaline injection given to her before the ambulance arrived almost certainly saved her life. 24/5/01.

STRESS LED TO DEATH. Roberta Hawes, 72, a resident of Hove, England, collapsed and died after berating a teenager for spitting in her face. She had chased him in her electric wheelchair. The coroner recorded a narrative verdict relating the death to the stressful events that had occurred. 22/5/01.

SUICIDES DUE TO PARACETAMOL AND ASPIRIN OVERDOSE ARE DOWN. Fatal suicide overdoses from aspirin related drugs have almost halved (48%)and those from paracetamal are down by a fifth (21%)since the new legislation was introduced in 1998 reducing the number of pills in each packet. The study was undertaken by researchers at the Centre for Suicide Research, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, England. 21/5/01

FEMALE DOCTORS MAY HAVE A HIGHER SUICIDE RISK DUE TO STRESS. A recent study undertaken at Oxford, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that rates of suicide among female NHS doctors in the UK are twice as high when compared to the general female population. The study suggests that it is important to 'tackle stress and mental health problems in doctors more effectively'. Self-poisoning is one of the preferred methods of commiting suicide. 21/4/04

EMINENT DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES ON MERSEYSIDE, ENGLAND, COMMITS SUICIDE DUE TO STRESS. Sir Richard Foster, galleries director, thought he was a failure and drowned himself in the sea, at Swanage, Dorset, by filling his pockets with sand. The inquest was told that the incident occurred in March. He left a suicide note stating that there was a weakness in his leadership duties. Despite his own negative views of his work, he has received much acclaim for his achievements. In fact, many galleries in Liverpool closed as mark of respect on his death. His wife, Lady Foster reported that they had discussed the fact that he was overworked. He thought that he 'should' have been in control of work. 20/4/01

UK HEAD TEACHER WILL SUE FOR STRESS. Marjorie Evans, the head teacher who was suspended for 18 months even though she was cleared by a court for slapping a pupil, will sue Monmouthshire Council, her employers. She is still unclear why she was suspended. Although given a suspended sentence by a stipendiary court, this was overturned on appeal.17/4/01

"HONEYTRAP" RACHEL NICKELL POLICE OFFICER RECEIVES £125,000. The police officer known as Lizzie James in the Wimbledon Common Rachell Nickell murder case who took part in the ill-conceived 'honeytrap' police operation has received £125,000 compensation. She said that she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder due to London's Metropolitan Police failing to support her after the operation. The Met did not admit liability but paid the compensation out of court before this month's High Court hearing was due. 7/4/01

UK LANDMARK CASE: MAN WINS INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNAL FROM THE GRAVE. Simon Haddon, a telecoms engineer, was sacked for taking time off work from Telewest Communications. He needed to attend kidney dialysis sessions after suffering from kidney failure in 1996. In February 1998, supported by his trade union, MSF, he lodged a complaint for disability discrimination. Sadly, he died March 1999 after contracting a virus. However, his parents carried on with the case and Haddon has won posthumously. 30/3/01

TOUGHER PENALTIES FOR UK COMPANIES. Accidents at work have been estimated to cost Britain £18 billion every year, according to the Health and Safety Executive. Accidents and ill-health can cost employers £140 to £300 per employee. Not surprisingly, employees working for small businesses are more likey to be killed. The Government will be imposing tough new penalties including imprisonment. EDITOR'S COMMENT: I doubt that tough new penalties will address the real problems that UK business face. It may sound good but unlikely to reduce accidents! In recent years small businesses claim that they have become weighed down by new regulations and subsequently spend more time on unnecessary paperwork. 26/3/01

STRESS CASE DROPPED. Former policeman, Richard Parsonson has dropped his stress compensation case against Scotland Yard. He was suing them for £400,000. However, he now faces legal fees up to £150,000. Editor's comment: Legal cases for stress in the UK have usually been supported by Trade Unions representing their members. The cost of going to court for an individual is extremely high and needs to be undertaken with great caution. 24/3/01

CANCER PATIENTS NOT OFFERED COUNSELLING FOR STRESS. According to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer, only 25% of the 250,000 cancer patients are offered stress counselling. The research was undertaken at the University of Sussex by Lesley Fallowfield. The study involved 34 hospitals across England and 2300 patients. 23/3/01

£476,000 FOR TRAUMA. Mark Cooper, 37, received £476,000 compensation last month. He had accidentally run over Sarah Sykes, a child of four, when she ran out in front of his car after a taxi ride. He thought that he had killed her. This trauma led to his divorce and loss of job. Atlas Radio Cars and the taxi driver, Elizabeth Reed, will be paying the compensation. Comment: This case illustrates the liability of others and may lead to more litigation for traumatic stress cases at work in the UK. 5/3/01

HEALTH JOURNAL UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. The Health Education Journal, previously published by the Health Education Authority is now being published under the auspices of the Institute of Health Promotion and Education. The HEJ is now edited by Professor A.S. Blinkhorn of Manchester University. 3/3/01

PUNCHBAG ROOM. A government grant of £25,000 is funding a stress-reduction room at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, England. Doctors and nurses will be able to use punchbags to relieve their stress. 2/3/01

GULF WAR PRISONER ENTERS THE STRESS BUSINESS. John Peters, the RAF gulf war pilot who was held a prisoner by Iraq has set up a management development company to help businesses reduce stress. Whilst in captivity, Peters was shown on Iraqi television. 27/2/01

TV TRIGGERS AGGRESSION. A study by Stanford University, California found that reducing the amount of television and video watched by children impacted upon aggression levels. Violent behaviour was reduced by about 25% in the group. The main author, Professor Thomas Robinson, believes that childhood violence is reversible. 18/1/01

EXAM STRESS THE CAUSE OF MUKONYI'S JET DIVE! Psychiarists have suggested that Paul Kefa Mukonyi may have experienced extreme paranoia due to exam stress. His behaviour on a recent British Airways flight, when he attacked the pilot, almost caused the plane to crash dive. The plane fell 10,000ft and almost flipped onto its back. Kenyan police believe that he may not be charged with criminal behaviour. He is studying at university in Lyon, France. 8/1/01

PARAMEDICS SUFFER FROM STRESS. A study released today in England has found that 1 in 3 ambulance staff suffer from stress. Many also suffer from traumatic stress. 1/1/01

HAPPY NEW 'REAL' MILLENNIUM TO OUR READERS, FROM THE EDITORS AND STAFF AT ONLINE STRESS NEWS. WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED WITH STRESS NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE AS IT HITS OUR INBOX. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE PAST 18 MONTHS. UNLIKE MANY OTHER INTERNET ORGANISATIONS, WE ARE STILL HERE AND IN BUSINESS PROVIDING YOU WITH NEWS AT NO COST. 1/1/01

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