One in five workers suffer from a mental illness, such as depression or anxiety, and these conditions increasingly affect productivity in the workplace as many struggle to cope, according to a new report.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found people with mental illness are often off sick from work, and between 30 and 50 percent of all new disability benefit claims in OECD nations are now due to poor mental health.

Policymakers need to find new ways to tackle the social and economic problem of mental illness, the report says, as trigger factors, such as stress at work, are likely to increase.

"Increasing job insecurity and pressure in today's workplaces could drive a rise in mental health problems in the years ahead," it says.

Depression alone is already a major cause of death, disability and economic burden worldwide. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2020 it will be the second leading contributor to the global burden of disease across all ages.

China Daily - Reuters