Some have even been depressed to the point of feeling suicidal.

One in five Australian workers are likely to be affected by a mental health condition in a 12-month period. And nearly half the country’s 16 to 85-year-olds will experience a mental health condition at some stage in their lifetime.

The economic cost to the country’s workplaces of work-related mental health issues was estimated to be more than $10 billion a year in sick leave and compensation claims.

University of Tasmania this week released a white paper calling for a new integrated approach to better manage mental health in workplaces.

Researchers found that current efforts were largely disconnected, ad hoc, and focused on individual workplaces, rather than on achieving systematic and sustainable change.

The paper was developed by UTAS’s Work, Health and Wellbeing Network in collaboration with national and international researchers, practitioners and policy makers.

It pointed to the need for an integrated approach encompassing three key areas – preventing harm, promoting the positive and responding to illness.

For example, a preventing harm initiative could include developing emotional and social intelligence for leaders and managers.

The paper called for an “evaluation framework” to be established to monitor workplace mental health.

“There is also a need for an overarching national approach to monitoring progress across all employment sectors,” it said.

Ms Ernst said she had seen a number of health workers come through her door, dealing with work stresses.

“It’s workload, it’s shift work,” she said. “The issue for psychologists around self-care is really important as well.

“Also for psychologists and probably doctors and nurses as well, we also have things like we’re exposed to vicarious traumatisation. You can become traumatised by listening to other people’s terrible stories or being exposed to their trauma indirectly.”

Ms Ernst said people should not feel immune, and to seek help if they needed it.

“There’s nothing wrong in seeking help. Accept that we’re just human and we all need help occasionally, and to seek help rather than try to self-diagnose and self-medicate.

“Also, have good peer support - a colleague you can talk to and looking at the whole work-life balance in terms of making sure you manage your day and your week, have time off for leisure activities and family commitments - all the things we tell our clients to do all the time, we’re not very good at doing it ourselves and GPs are not very good at it either.

“Don’t live in a bubble. Don’t think you have to be invincible and have to do everything on your own.”