A recent report suggests that the financial crisis has almost certainly led to an increase in suicides across Europe, says Richard Chandler.

The report, based on World Health Organisation statistics, was published in one of the world's leading general medical journals, The Lancet, in July. A rise in suicides has been recorded among working-age people between 2007 and 2009 in nine out of the 10 nations studied. The increases varied between 5% and 17% for under 65s after a period of falling suicide rates, the journal said.

In my mind, it's a stark reminder that during the continued tough economic conditions employers should be ever mindful of their duty of care and ensure they have appropriate support services regarding the mental health of their employees. Of the countries where suicide rates rose, the UK saw a rise of 10% to 6.75 suicides per 100,000.

Greece saw the highest increase. Only Austria saw suicide rates fall, which was put down to the country having a stronger social safety net. The researchers also found that during the period there was a rise in unemployment by a third, leading them to believe the key to keeping suicide rates down is by investing in welfare systems.

However, road deaths fell during the period – a trend attributed to the falls in vehicle use during difficult economic times.

Importantly, the report showed that there would likely be an increase in other health consequences such as heart disease and an increase in cancer rates. The mental health of employees should clearly be a concern of the employer, it said, and as such, organisations should increase the profile and access to support services such as an employee assistance programme (EAP).

An EAP can help employees when they feel there is no-one to turn to. The support can help them get a clearer perspective on the problem and most EAPs can direct the employee toward appropriate professional help. The EAP service is provided completely confidentially, but the crucial part is making sure employees are aware of the existence of the service, when they can use it and how it can help in a variety of situations.

EAPs can combine telephone support with face-to-face counselling on a wide range of matters. A service should be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and extend to guidance, healthcare, childcare, parenting and elder care issues. The report came after a BBC investigation earlier this year found there had been a rise in anti-depressant prescriptions during the financial crisis.

Promoting or providing access to an EAP is especially important at times of heightened stress across the business, for example during rounds of cost-cutting, re-structuring and redundancy. And it seems that there is plenty more of those to come.

Richard Chandler is employee benefits consultant at employee benefits provider and consultancy, Lorica Employee Benefits