How long do you usually get signed off work with stress

[User700]

Currently considering going to the gp re stress at work. How long is it likely they will sign my off for if they decide to sign me off?

It's down to the GP, but I always see people signed off for two weeks initially, with a "come back on the 2nd last day and we'll see if you need another two weeks" sort of arrangement.

Try and take off enough time - it takes a while to get back on your feet again if you're messed up enough to need signing off. And for God's sake disconnect your work email/phone etc if you have that. Don't try to help with the things that have driven you to despair, it'll keep you fucked up.

Why do you need to know?

Technically they shouldn't put stress as stress is not an illness but a cause. It's more likely to be anxiety or depression. Although some do put stress.

It seems to depend on doctors, or maybe the severity, although I'm not sure how they assess that in a 5 min GP appt.

Some are quite keen to say you're better off busy and reluctant to issue certificates. When they do, it seems to be 1-2 weeks initially but if it goes longer, I've got a staff member signed off atm who had a certificate issued at the end of September until 7 Jan (fwiw, the stress leading to her depression is in her personal life)

Thank you, yes I think I just need space away from everything for a few weeks.

Work related stress, stress, anxiety, depression are triggers where I work for ohp, employee assistance, stress risk assessment and the offer of regular pastoral/consultation meetings.

First few notes are usually for two weeks then its on a case by case basis. Sometimes we are concerned about people who continue at work and encourage them to see their dr and seek support and treatment.

Many recoveries occur when full pay runs out. Apologies for being cynical.

For you op

Yes, where I work it's an automatic referral to OH if you're off with anything stress related for more than two weeks. Which is a good thing for everyone.

Also, yes, it's amazing how many people feel better when their full pay runs out, but that applies to bad backs etc as well as MH

Or lack of pay (and being unable to pay the mortgage) gives greater anxiety than work? @OhTheRoses

If I'm your gp and it's stress rather than depression you'd do a self cert for a week and then go back to work. Taking time off makes it worse. At a push I might do a cert for a week but no more.

Many recoveries occur when full pay runs out. Apologies for being cynical

Because they are absolutely shitting themselves about not having enough money no doubt!!

Thanks for all replies I fully intend to return to work as quickly as possible.

I have been to my doctor with what I thought was severe stress. I was also genuinely wondering if I was having a heart attack. My blood pressure was high to the point that my eyes were permanently red and I was low level self harming.
I half wanted to be signed off. I got pretty a print out on anxiety and told to keep a journal.

If you can identify the root cause, can you address that? However uncomfortable it is. As a week off wont change any root cause, so it could easily come back.

If I'm your gp and it's stress rather than depression you'd do a self cert for a week and then go back to work. Taking time off makes it worse. At a push I might do a cert for a week but no more.

You might be my dr, then. I should have been signed off. I needed someone to take charge and tell me there was more wrong with me than wrs. I needed help. I pushed through as long as I could before having a breakdown. Please don’t be too quick just to dismiss ‘stress'. I get what you say about stress vs depression, but it’s a fine line and actually the depression was fuelled by wrs. I still have not recovered.

My GP signed me off for 2 weeks, then 2 weeks, then another 4 before I went back to work.

My stress was that I needed time to deal with home issues. Single parent to 3 kids who all had issues at the same time. I couldn't be a good mother, and a good employee at the same time. So I took the time off I needed to deal with the stress. I went back once there was improvement.

Surely that makes sense? Not sure how the GP posting on this thread could feel that taking time off with personal stress negates one week at a push?! Surely it is 100% individual as to how long someone would need to take off?

I have previously taken time off with stress also for another reason, and was signed off until my mat leave commenced - so 8 weeks. That was a very understanding GP who had tears in her eyes when I told her what had happened to me. I'm very grateful I was given the time and space to heal. Especially as I needed to be mentally ready for the new baby coming, as a brand new single parent having gone through a traumatic experience.

Thismustbe that's my thinking that things occasionally get to a point where you just need to not have the focus of work and the pressure around it. Hope things are better for you now.

At the risk of stating the obvious, for wrs, if nothing changes at work, the stress will return when you go back. I've known people be signed off for long periods and the longer you're off the harder it is to go back to work. A lot of companies will get Occ Health involved at an early stage to try to identify what the problem is and how they can support an employee to come back.

I would hope that a GP would look an individual case and make the decision based on the individual. I don't think there is any set period that you would be signed off for.

My stress was that I needed time to deal with home issues

That's exactly my point. Needing time to sort out issues at home isn't an illness. It should be AL or compassionate leave if appropriate but it shouldn't take up GP time or get a sick note, sorry.

Blue folder, it was 8 weeks. That's neither annual leave or compassionate leave.

It required fit notes. Because I was not fit for work. I was barely coping with the mental load without a highly stressful job on top. Time away allowed me to focus on the issues and deal with them at a quicker rate than had I tried to work along side it. I'd also of had a dead teenager on my hands.

Sometimes work is the only thing that you’ve got any wiggle room with, so to deal with outside stresses it may be that you need time off work. It’s not that Work is causing the stress but being able to take a step back from work will give enough headspace to find a way through other stuff.

What often happens though is the person takes time off work but instead of allowing themselves space to recover, they keep going st 100 miles an hour. If you do take time off work, use the time initially to just stop, rest and recover.

Is it pressure or stress? Stress is an adverse reaction to pressure but people often confuse the two.

My GP signed me off for "as long as it will take for the situation to resolve", he saw no point me going back if nothing would have changed as I would simply develop stress again. Fortunately that only took four weeks - without direct management, my contact point at work was a departmental head and I was brutally honest with him as to the cause of my stress once I'd dropped in the Fit Note. He agreed it was an untenable situation and immediately started resolving the issue (lack of resourcing). It was just a shame that he hadn't listened to similar conversations I'd had with him during the weeks leading up to my absence, he'd downplayed it. Going off with stress forced his hand.

Yes I plan to work with my senior colleagues to address the issues.