Manage stress or it could lead to illness, says Lee Lam Thye

KUALA LUMPUR: Unhealthy levels of stress at work and home may lead to a number of disorders and illnesses, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

The Alliance for Safe Community chairman said among the illnesses are chronic fatigue, depression, insomnia, anxiety, migraine, headache, emotional problems, allergies and the abuse of tobacco, alcohol and drugs.

"Stress can contribute to hypertension, heart and cerebrovascular diseases as well as lead to peptic ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease and musculoskeletal problems.

"It may also alter immune functions which may, in turn, facilitate the development of cancer.

“Taken together, these disorders may be responsible for a large number of diseases, deaths and cases of disability," he said in a statement Sunday (Dec 27).

Lee added that all are affected at one time or another by stress.

“Although occupational stress is by no means a new phenomenon, it is becoming increasingly globalised and affects all categories of workers, including both blue- and white-collar workers as well as families.

“It has an impact on society as a whole. Although stress at work is most frequently considered a problem of industrialised countries, workers in developing countries are also undoubtedly affected," he said.

As stress is so widespread, Lee said it has a very high cost for individuals, companies and organisations – and for society.

"For the individual, in addition to the devastating impact of the serious health impairments referred to above, the loss of capacity to cope with working and social situations can lead to lower levels of success at work, including loss of career opportunities and even employment.

“It can give rise to greater strain in family relationships and with friends. It may even ultimately result in depression, death or suicide, ” he said.

For the company or organisation, the costs of stress can take many forms, he added.

"These include absenteeism, higher medical costs and staff turnover, with the associated cost of recruiting and training new workers.

"It has also been shown in recent years that stress takes a heavy toll in terms of reduced productivity and efficiency," he said.

Lee added that work stress is an increasing health hazard to workers all over the world.

“In fact, the World Health Organisation reported about 50% of the entire working population are unhappy in their jobs, and about 75% of those who consulted psychiatrists are experiencing problems that can be traced to a lack of job satisfaction.

“However, research evidence on work stress around the Asian region is generally still minimal. There should be more research into stress and the prevalence of mental disorders amongst Malaysians, ” he said.

Lee said that skills to manage stress need to be developed.

"Such skills include how to manage anger and conflict resolution, think positively, time management, addressing problems and finding solutions.

"Another effective way is by practising relaxation. The use of relaxation should be promoted to organisations as well as the corporate sector," he said.