Stress-Related Mental Health Risks Are Rising for Business Travelers
Photo Credit: Travelers wait in terminal 4 at the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. Flickr / Robert Couse-Baker
Skift Take
Risks involving anxiety and depression are making up a larger and larger chunk of first calls to risk management companies. This trend likely won't slow until companies make fundamental shifts to their corporate culture.
While the concept of travel risk often conjures up an image of physical violence or disease outbreaks, the reality for corporate travelers is often very different.
Mental health is making up a rapidly growing number of calls to risk management companies, with stress-induced symptoms of anxiety and depression as one of the top issues travelers report. International SOS, perhaps the largest medical assistance and security company worldwide, fields 4.5 million calls a year, with about 40 percent involving issues of mental health. As the frequency continues to rise, companies are becoming increasingly aware of a need to change the corporate support systems in place.
“There are multiple trends that I've noticed in the nature of first calls,” said Dr. Robert Quigley, a senior vice president and regional medical director for International SOS. “But the one that stands out to me in the last five years is that progressive, almost logarithmic increase in the n
