Businesses in Dorset are being urged to do more to tackle depression and stress in the workplace.

The latest research from Mind has revealed that at least one in six workers experience common mental health problems, including anxiety and depression.

Not only can these issues be the biggest cause of stress in people's lives, more so than debt or financial problems, but they can also stop people performing at their best.

Dorset Mind's chief executive, Marianne Storey said: "At Dorset Mind we believe that open and supportive workplaces benefit everyone, employees, employers and the bottom line.

"If people are not mentally healthy at work they are not as productive as they could be. They might genuinely be 'off sick', but more commonly people will rather go to work because of the stigma of openly talking about their mental health difficulty.

"As a result, they may be unable to do their jobs properly. It's what we call 'presenteeism' and it simply compounds the problem.

"The effects of that not only increases stress and anxiety for the individual, but it can ripple out in the wider workplace. Ultimately it affects the companies bottom line."

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive reveal that in 2016/17, 12.5 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety, with 526,000 workers suffering from these conditions.

If you are struggling with mental health or suicidal thoughts, call the following helplines:

Samaritans 116 123

Papyrus (for those aged under 35) 0800 068 41 41

Childline (for children and young people under 19) 0800 1111

The Silver Line (for older people) 0800 4 70 80 90