16 Mar
2018

News

​A quarter of seafarers show signs of depression, says new report​

16 Mar, 2018

More than a quarter of seafarers show signs of depression - and many won’t ask for help, according to a study of seafarers’ mental health presented today (March 16).

The study of more than 1,000 seafarers was carried out by international maritime charity Sailors’ Society and Yale University, with more than one in six of the respondents coming from the UK.

More than 25 per cent of seafarers said they had felt “down, depressed or hopeless” on several days over the previous two weeks.

The seafarers said the quality and amount of food on board can have a big impact on their mental health, alongside isolation from their families and length of their contracts.

Nearly half (45 per cent) of the seafarers who reported symptoms of depression said they had not asked anybody for help. Around one-third said they had turned to family and/or friends, but only 21 per cent said they had spoken to a colleague, despite spending months on a ship with them.

Master Mariner Dan Thompson, 29, from London, who had to take time out from his job as a navigation officer when he became depressed, is speaking at the conference to raise awareness of the problem. He said: “The reason I became ill was primarily my job – the workload, the sleep deprivation and the pressures of the job.

“Having lived at sea I would anticipate the numbers of people suffering from depression to be even higher than those who admitted it in the survey.

“Our industry is generally more ‘macho’ than many others. The attitude is to just toughen up and get on with it. There is a fear of talking about it openly, of losing your job.”

Sailors’ Society, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this Sunday (March 18), will announce the survey at its Wellness at Sea Conference in London today.

The charity, which works with seafarers in 91 ports around the world, offers counselling and support to those struggling with depression.

Its Wellness at Sea training programme and app teach seafarers about wellness and give them practical tools to help them stay physically and mentally fit at sea.

Today’s conference will bring maritime leaders together to discuss the importance of seafarer wellness, its impact on the industry and how to combat problems like depression.

Sailors’ Society CEO Stuart Rivers said: “Seafarers spend months on end at sea, facing some of the toughest conditions of any workforce – isolation, cramped living quarters, noise, heat, storms – sometimes they’re not even able to stomach the food on board.

“This report is a wake-up call to the industry about the huge impact this is having on seafarers’ mental health.

“We’re working with shipping companies to help them offer the best care to their employees, who are the life blood of the industry and our global economy.”

Share this article:

  • Sailors’ Society on Twitter
  • Sailors’ Society on Facebook
  • Sailors’ Society on LinkedIn

You might also be interested in

Keep in touch

Keep me up-to-date on Sailors' Society news, events and appeals.

Join us on social

Join us on social