More than one in three people in the UK are struggling with poor mental health, with the country now ranking worst in Europe and third worst globally, according to the sixth annual AXA Mind Health Report.
The study, carried out by AXA in partnership with Ipsos across 19,000 respondents aged 18 to 75 in 18 countries, found nearly 30% of those affected report severe or extreme levels of depression, anxiety or stress.
According to the report, half of respondents cited uncertainty about the future in a fast-changing world as the biggest driver of their poor mental health.
The report exposed the scale of unmet need. Some 60% of respondents said they had not seen a mental health professional in the past 12 months, while 25% cited fear of stigma or judgement as their reason for avoiding help.
That reluctance sits alongside mounting pressure on public mental health services. A 2025 analysis of NHS data by Rethink Mental Illness found people are roughly eight times more likely to wait over 18 months for mental health treatment than for physical health treatment, with more than 16,500 people on such waits as of December 2024.
Tara Foley, chief executive of AXA UK & Ireland, said the findings reflected real struggles and highlighted the barriers many still face in getting adequate support. AXA, she added, gives its health insurance members fast access to mental health services and encourages early engagement before conditions escalate.
With NHS routes overstretched and stigma discouraging clinical engagement, technology has increasingly filled the void. Some 46% of UK respondents said they had turned to AI tools for mental health support, below the 63% global average, while a third use AI to self-manage their condition and 42% said they trust AI guidance more than that of a mental health professional.
Views on the quality of that guidance were split. While 57% of users found AI-generated advice helpful, 43% reported dissatisfaction, and 27% said an AI recommendation had led them into harmful behaviour, a finding likely to sharpen scrutiny of unregulated AI mental health tools operating outside clinical oversight.
That scrutiny is already building. The House of Commons Treasury Committee criticised UK regulators in January 2026 for failing to adequately manage the risks AI poses in financial services, and recommended the Financial Conduct Authority set out clearer guidance on how existing consumer protection rules, including its FG21/1 vulnerable customer framework, apply to AI-driven interactions.
For health and protection insurers building AI into underwriting, claims or customer support journeys, this points to closer supervisory attention on outcomes for customers who may not self-identify as vulnerable.
A companion survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by OnePoll.com found AI's disruptive effect extends into the workplace.
A third of respondents said they were concerned about AI's influence on their career, and 29% described themselves as anxious or pessimistic about its use in their role. Around one in five, 21%, said they were considering a move into sectors they view as more future-proof, with technology and healthcare the most cited destinations.
Despite that unease, 27% already use AI at work, most commonly for research, administrative tasks and data analysis.
On the workplace findings, Foley said AI is transforming how people work and that organisations need to help employees build the skills to adapt, while ensuring mental health and wellbeing are protected so that staff feel supported through the transition.
The data carries direct relevance for the UK's group risk market, where mental health already accounts for a large share of intervention activity.
According to Group Risk Development (GRiD), insurers delivered health and wellbeing interventions to nearly 8,300 employees in 2025, with mental illness accounting for 48% of cases, and group risk products paid out £2.69 billion in claims across life, income protection and critical illness cover.
Separately, GRiD research published in May found 70% of employers believe there is insufficient state support for workforce health and wellbeing, up from 63% a year earlier, with mental health the area employers feel this gap most acutely.
Taken together, the figures point to a widening gap between demand for mental health support and the capacity of public services to meet it, one that health and protection insurers, employers and regulators will all need to address as AI tools continue to fill the space left behind.
