Work voted as the most stressful element of modern life

Work is the most stressful element of modern life, according to a new poll.

According to a survey by mental health charity Mind, one third of Brits believe that their job is stressful, with poor management, excessive workload and unrealistic targets cited as the biggest stress-inducers.

Thirty per cent of respondents said that their financial problems caused them stress, whilst 17 per cent of those questioned are stressed out by their health.

The causes of stress and anxiety are often very important for those in counselling careers to identify, so these figures could potentially be very interesting for people in that line of work.

In an interview with hrzone.co.uk, Mind chief executive Paul Farmer urged leaders in the workplace to be aware of the problems that stress can cause their staff.

He said: "Work related mental health problems are an issue too important for businesses to ignore. Our research shows that employees are still experiencing high levels of stress at work, which is negatively impacting their physical and mental health.

"We know that now, one in six workers is experiencing depression, stress or anxiety and yet our survey tells us that most managers don't feel they have had enough training or guidance to support them."

The survey's results were published just after the release of a Swedish study suggesting that a stressful increases the risk of Alzheimer's. According to dailymail.co.uk, scientists used mice to discover a link between stress hormones and loss of memory.