A LANCASHIRE businesswoman has launched a new support group for business people suffering from mental health issues caused by the stresses of the pandemic.

Kelly Bolton believes that the Entrepreneur Mental Health Association will be crucial to challenging the mental health crisis that lockdown has brought about in the business community.

This comes as a study by the National Institute of Mental Health has found that 72 per cent of entrepreneurs suffer from mental illness with one third struggling with two or more conditions, while studies have also found that start-up founders are twice as likely to suffer from depression.

Ms Bolton said: “The stress of paying bills, looking after staff, being isolated and facing pressure to keep businesses going in these testing times is something that weighs heavily on all business owners.

“I know first-hand that there isn't much help out there for our specific mental health needs. As driven go-getters, we can be big believers in "no pain, no gain", but this is to the detriment of our own health and can eventually have a huge impact on our business and our lives.

“There is a clear mental health crisis in entrepreneurship and I am passionate about directly mitigating the damage caused by overworking, stress and the mental health challenges that entrepreneurs face."

Lancashire Telegraph:

Kelly Bolton, founder of the Entrepreneur Mental Health Association 

Ms Bolton is the founder of Preston-based Aggressive Growth Marketing which specialises in helping businesses raise their public profile and has taken the firm from being a part-time freelancing operation to a thriving company.

This experience means she is well placed to understand the strains that fellow businesspeople go through.

Ms Bolton said: “The objective of the Entrepreneur Mental Health Association is to support business owners in managing workload, productivity, stress, depression, anxiety, burnout, panic attacks, PTSD, regular general illnesses, stressful personal circumstances and more.

“We also work to help entrepreneurs with their personal and professional development and growth, as well as supporting their business’s development and growth, to help them live a happier, less stressful and more fulfilling life."

To find out more, go to: http://entrepreneurmentalhealthassociation.com.