One of the reasons I like international news is that it can provide grounding and perspective. It can say, “I’m not the only one with this problem. In fact, people all over the world are experiencing the same thing right now.” This is the case with workplace burnout. Familiar patterns emerge throughout the world and here we look at recent examples in India and the United Kingdom extending all the way to Parliament.
Workplace Burnout in India
Results from a recent study show a major and sudden shift in mental wellness use in India. The digital health company ekincare released a report called “From Silence to Signal: India Inc.’s Mental Wellness Reckoning (2023–2026),” which states that mental wellness usage across corporate India has surged 44% since 2023. The report analyzed over 6,000 counseling sessions across ekincare’s corporate client base between 2023 and 2026.
The Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. (MCX) Image: Ministry of Finance of India via Wikimedia Commons.
The report’s other key findings include:
Employees aged 20–25 reported a 203% growth in counseling usage
The Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector records the sharpest increase at 408%
Healthcare and pharma saw 122% growth in counseling usage
Despite these increases, a reported 26.6% of employees who booked sessions never attended them. So among a significant portion of the workforce, there appears to be fear or hesitation to engage with mental wellness counselors.
Utilization rates also very significantly by age, with Gen Z seeking counseling at much higher rates.
Age Range
Counseling Utilization Increase, 2023-2025
Common Concerns
20-25
203%
Anxiety and self-doubt
26-30
27%
Identity and relationships
31-35
18%
Family and care-giving pressures
Workers over 35 displayed the highest levels of clinical anxiety and depression. Among them, approximately 44% of sessions were linked to anxiety, depression or mood-related concerns.
The report also noted gender differences. Among women 25% of sessions involved relationships and intimacy issues, nearly double the rate found in men’s sessions.
Men’s issues were more commonly linked to “self-identity and growth”, with “personal issue” being the most frequently used description. Around 62 per cent of such cases were filed by men.
“The challenge is readiness,” said Dr. Noel Coutinho, co-founder of ekincare. “Are our systems equipped for the scale, complexity, and clinical depth of the demand that is emerging?”
Burnout in the UK: From Teachers and Nurses to MPs
A May 2026 Guardian opinion piece by columnist Gaby Hinsliff addresses workplace burnout and looks at the recent example of a British Member of Parliament taking a break. Green Party MP Carla Denyer has chosen to temporarily step away from her duties, citing medical advice and exhaustion.
1. A Lawmaker’s Sabbatical
Denyer, the MP for Bristol Central and former co-leader of the Green Party, announced that she is taking a doctor-mandated break. She sited the reason as severe burnout from balancing personal health struggles with her demanding political responsibilities.
Many of her peers in politics offered well-wishes, but Denyer’s call for an “open conversation” about mental health has triggered some public backlash. Critics and radio phone-in callers questioned why a politician could not manage the job when frontline workers like nurses and teachers are expected to soldier on.
76% of people report experiencing burnout at work at least sometimes
Gallup
2. The Scope of Burnout in Modern Britain
The article highlights that frontline professionals are actually suffering deeply from the same issues, pointing out that:
Mental health struggles are currently the leading cause of employee absences within the National Health Service (NHS) in England.
Teachers across Britain report the highest levels of professional stress, depression, and anxiety.
So much of the public frustration with Denyer’s sabbatical is not out of malice, but out of shared exhaustion. For example, unpaid carers managing disabled children or elderly parents similarly face immense burnout. But carers generally lack the financial luxury or institutional support to step away from their roles, even for temporary sabbaticals.
The British House of Commons. Imagee: UK Parliament via Wikimedia Commons.
3. Understanding Clinical Burnout
Hinsliff also contextualizes the term “burnout,” noting its original use in the 1970s to characterize the collision of high-pressure stress and deep moral dedication within caring professions. She distinguishes casual tiredness from clinical burnout, making key points on prevalence and severity:
Prevalence: According to a Gallup survey, 76% of people report experiencing burnout at work at least some of the time.
Severity: True burnout is not just a hard week. It manifests as chronic dread and panic attacks with emotional detachment as a coping mechanism. Burnout also involves anxious fears over failing major, sometimes even life-and-death responsibilities.
Classification: The World Health Organization officially defines burnout as exhaustion “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
4. The Hidden Toll of Public Service
Hinsliff rightly pushes back against the idea that political work is easy. She explains that a dedicated MP fulfills the functions of a legislator, campaigner, and as a sort of social worker of last resort. MPs regularly handle constituent crises, including families facing deportation or homelessness and parents denied special education access for their kids.
Resulting in part from systemic failures, public servants operate on unmanageable levels of stress and adrenaline, deeply disrupting their sleep and mental health.
5. Moving Beyond Stigma to Systemic Change
The article concludes that destigmatizing mental health and praising Denyer’s honesty is only the first step. To truly address Britain’s burnout epidemic, the country requires systemic infrastructure.
Hinsliff argues that society must move past simple management training and actively invest in tangible support structures, such as universally well-paid sick leave and robustly funded respite care for unpaid family carers who cannot otherwise afford to rest. 🟦
Article opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CivicHaven.
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Many of us associate stress and depression with busy cities and the demands of fast-paced, modern life. While urban bustle and modern demands can be potent sources of stress, depression and mental health crises in rural areas can be just as powerful and commonplace, if not more.
Farmers have always struggled with high investment costs, unpredictable weather patterns and geographic isolation. Today, many farmers also contend with the stressors of labor shortages, market volatility, foreign competition, pricing and tariff demands, and extreme weather, such as hurricanes and droughts. And for migrant workers, the fear of deportation can be overwhelming.
67% of farmers reported feeling sad or depressed and 63.3% felt nervous or worried about the future. (2025 Florida Farm Bureau survey conducted in partnership with UF/IFAS Center for Leadership and the Mind Your Melon organization)
Besides practical and logistical difficulties, powerful social pressures affect farm workers. Farmers often hesitate to seek help, particularly given their traditional spirit of self-reliance.
And in small, close-knit farming communities, it can be difficult to trust in confidentiality. There is also the fear that peers and neighbors will negatively judge those who seek mental health support and find them inept or less capable.
Rural Minds
To address this crisis, this month, Rural Minds has launched a new Farmer Mental Health Resilience Program, created to help individuals and communities with mental health resources, education, and guidance as well as approaches to dealing with mental health stigmas.
The Farmer Mental Health Resilience Program provides fact sheets on common mental health conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, PTSD, and more. The program also offers a free online mental health course developed with the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and NY FarmNet.
The aim is for farmers, agricultural workers, and families to understand and recognize mental health struggles, engage in healthy conversations, and find support as needed.
“All of us continue to depend on rural areas for many of life’s essentials,” said Dr. Lorin D. Warnick, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell. “But farming is even more of a solitary pursuit than it used to be, and the social costs of the loss of so many family farms may be even greater than the economic losses.” 🟦
Title image: AI-assisted, Louis Caravella x Gemini.
Article image: “Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange. Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Public Domain Photographs.
Article opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CivicHaven.
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Study shows mixed attitudes toward media and news fatigue
If you’ve ever felt like your morning scroll through the headlines is more of a chore than a choice, you aren’t alone. A recent Pew Research Center study from the Pew-Knight Initiative reveals that Americans have developed a complicated relationship with the news. While many still consider staying informed a pillar of democracy, the actual act of consuming the news is leaving many of us with news fatigue: exhausted, skeptical, and ready to disconnect.
Here are some of the more interesting highlights from the study and what they suggest about our digital lives and mental wellness today.
1. The Civic Responsibility Paradox
The study found a fascinating tension in how we view the news. On one hand, 80% of Americans believe it is a responsibility to be informed when we vote.
On the other hand, when asked what makes a “good member of society,” following the news ranks surprisingly low. It sits well below voting, paying taxes, and volunteering. Only 11% of adults consider following the news “extremely important” to being a good citizen. Essentially, Americans think being informed is a requirement for responsible voting, but not necessarily for being a good neighbor.
2. The Shift from “Hunters” to “Gatherers”
How do you get your news? A few years ago, you probably would be more of a “hunter” actively seeking out specific media outlets or programs. In 2019, 60% of Americans said they mostly looked for news.
Today, that’s changed. It’s an even split: 50% seek news, while 49% say they mostly just “come across” it. In an era of social media algorithms and push notifications, the news has a way of finding us whether we want it or not. This “news finds me” mentality has also led many to believe they can stay informed without any active effort.
3. DIY Fact-Checking and Trust Issues
One of the most telling findings is our confidence—or lack thereof—in others. An overwhelming 94% of Americans believe it’s at least somewhat important to “do your own research” to check the accuracy of a story.
But here’s the kicker: we trust ourselves far more than others. About 29% of us are “very confident” in our own ability to spot fake news, but only 3% feel that same level of confidence in other people’s abilities. We’ve become a nation of amateur investigators who are suspicious of each other.
4. The Rise of News Fatigue
If you feel tired just reading this, you’re in the majority. 52% of U.S. adults express news fatigue saying they are worn out by the sheer volume of news. It’s not just the quantity, either, but the relevance. Nearly half of Americans feel that most of the news they encounter is not relevant to their lives.
This disconnect and exhaustion is leading to a mass tuning out. The study found that 60% of people have reduced their overall news intake, and two-thirds have walked away from a specific news source entirely. Perhaps most surprisingly, only 9% of people follow the news because they actually enjoy it. For the rest of us, it’s either a grim obligation or a mix of “should” and “must.”
Takeaways
This paradoxical thinking might be the result of a temporary, transitional era. We still value the idea of being informed, but the delivery methods and sources are broken for many. We are overwhelmed by the noise, skeptical of the sources, and increasingly isolated in our own “fact-checking” bubbles.
The challenge moving forward isn’t just finding more news but engaging it without burnout. That could look like restricting news hours, focusing on local reporting that actually impacts your daily life, or acknowledging that doing your own research requires practice and patience. 🟦
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