Stress is No.1 pain

Stress-related illnesses such as depression have overtaken the classic "dodgy back" as Britain's most common workplace ailment.

The past decade has seen an explosion in employee claims for "mental and psychological problems," which were rare a generation ago, says a survey from insurance firm Unum Provident.

It found that whereas in 1995 only one in eight claims were for mental illnesses, by last year the figure had ballooned to almost a quarter.

Over the same time, the proportion of claims for back and neck problems and other "traditional" industrial-complaints such as breathing difficulties had fallen sharply.

The survey measured claims for "income protection" policies, which pay out if an employee cannot work because of a long-term illness.

The latest figures come amid growing concern about the scale of stress in Britain's workplaces.

In total around half a million people are thought to be suffering work related stress severe enough to make them clinically ill and every year around three in 10 employees will have a metal health problem, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Unum's chief medical officer Michael O'Donnell said that claims for severe mental illnesses such as psychotic disorders and manic depression had barely increased. the big rise had been in relatively minor problems such as anxiety related conditions, brought on by stress, he said.

Trade unions are stepping up the pressure on employers to do more to tackle workplace stress, which costs British industry £370 million every year.